“When I think of Bella Ramsey, the phrase that comes to mind is radical honesty,” they wrote at the time. “[...] As a nonbinary person starting out as an actor, I feared there wasn’t space for me in the mainstream industry. Young trans and gender-nonconforming people coming into film and TV today will know that there is indeed space, in no small part because of Bella.”
Although D’Arcy shot to mainstream stardom for playing Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon, they’re no stranger to roles that challenge traditional gender norms — as British GQ noted, they played Romeo in a 2015 stage production of Romeo and Juliet.
“[At the time], I didn’t have any language for this… gender battle taking place in my body. That only reached me when I came to London, and I was in my early twenties,” they said of that era of their career. “It’s funny that it expresses itself in the work, and it started doing that really early. It’s interesting where we find freedom. I hadn’t actually put those pieces together.”
On the topic of awards season, D’Arcy has little interest in the discourse surrounding gendered categories (“It’s quite funny to… state in some way that you forgo the categorization, and then be endlessly asked about how one might navigate categories,” they told British GQ). However, they’re more than game to use their position on the top of the call sheet to advocate for other trans and nonbinary actors in the industry.
“Inevitably, I’ve met a lot of genderfluid, nonbinary, and trans actors, and there are several in House of the Dragon,” D’Arcy said. “It’s nice, because while I’m at work, I take seriously the attempt to expand and improve the working structures to support genderfluid people.”
“Look, I’m fortunate I get to play a leading role, which means I can probably shout a bit louder than one can in a less featured part,” they added. “But I think that also comes with a responsibility. And I’m really up for it.”
