Celebrities

Teen House of the Dragon star deletes Twitter following fan backlash

Teen House of the Dragon star deletes Twitter following fan backlash
NYC apartments all watch House of the Dragon at the same time
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House of the Dragon star Emily Carey has deleted her Twitter account following backlash after she explained how she humanised her character.

The 19-year-old British actor plays a young Alicent Hightower in the HBO series which premiered on August 21, who in the books eventually grows up to become a villain.

So back in July when Carey said at Comic Con in San Diego that she created a backstory to humanise the character, die-hard fans of George RR Martin's books were not impressed with the anecdote.

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“There were some gaps that we had to fill, so to figure it all out I sort of started journaling, and … managed to come up with some form of backstory, and it proved to be very useful,” Carey said.

“I’ve never had the freedom to create a whole human being like this before. So it was so much fun being able to go so in-depth with her.

"There are so many layers to her. I think lots of people are already expecting her to be the villain of the show, but I think bringing her in younger, there was a lot more to explore," she added.

As a result of the criticism from fans, Carey decided to quit Twitter.

"I love social media. I’m 19, so I’m all on social media, and I’ve been on social media since I was a kid because I’ve worked since I was a kid so I’m very conscious of things," Carey explained to News.com.au.

"Any hate that comes in, it’s just … It’s a person behind a screen. You just have to move on from it," Carey said.

"But I will say I did delete Twitter [after Comic-Con] because it’s just so loud. Even when it’s good, there’s so many and it’s so loud."

“I love the buzz, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it can be overwhelming, and that’s me being completely transparent," she added.

In a since-deleted tweet, Carey reiterated her stance that her character was not a villain, she wrote: “I stand by what I said in the panel. Alicent is not the villain, folks. When we meet her she’s a child, a product of the patriarchy. Just you wait and see. Maybe you’ll sympathise."

House of the Dragonis available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW, and new episodes drop on Mondays at 2am.

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