Former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins was forced to issue an apology to House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy after she accidentally misgendered them during the red carpet premiere of the second season.
In the latest instalment of the fantasy drama series, D’Arcy returns as Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is facing war opposite Olivia Cooke’s Alicent Hightower and the other faction of the Targaryen family as both sides vie for the Iron Throne.
The premiere took place in London’s Leicester Square and saw Perkins speak to Daemon Targaryen actor Matt Smith shortly after chatting to D’Arcy about their role.
During her conversation with the former Doctor Who star, Perkins referred to D’Arcy as “she” on multiple occasions despite the 31-year-old identifying as non-binary and using “they/them” pronouns.
Perkins said: “I was talking to Emma, and she was saying – she was talking about how amazing that end scene was… and she gave you all the credit.”
Smith was quick to correct Perkins, and praised D’Arcy: “I can’t take the credit, but I have to say they are… aren’t they brilliant? They are absolutely brilliant and you’re in for a real treat with Emma this year, I think.”
During Perkins’ chat with Matt Smith she misgendered D’Arcy as “she”
GETTY
The mistake from Perkins was picked up by many fans of the HBO series, leaving one to note on X: “It’s not hard to do research on the lead of a show before interviewing at the premiere of that show, in fact, it’s absolutely the bare minimum that should be expected.”
Another expressed: “How can you work in the media, interviewing people from a show who’s that successful and not do your homework? It’s not that hard to get someone’s pronouns right.”
“Disappointed in Sue for not doing her research before speaking to Queen D’Arcy on at the premiere of House of the Dragon… I know it was an innocent mistake but I can’t help but feel sad,” a third added.
However, Perkins did receive some support amid the furore as one defended: “I highly doubt @sueperkins of all people would misgender on purpose, it’s hard to know everyone’s pronouns without guidance. I would have made the same mistake.”
Emma plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series
HBO
Someone else agreed: “As someone who is misgendered on a regular basis, we get it. Mistakes are made.”
Perkins decided to apologise for the comment and replied to the backlash: “It was a s***ty mistake. Had loads of stuff going on in my earpiece and so wasn’t as focused as I should have been.
“No excuses though. These things matter and I feel terrible about it. Am a massive fan of their work and would never want to be disrespectful.”
Another X user questioned if Perkins would be apologising “directly to Emma,” to which she replied: “Of course I will.” (sic)
Matt was quick to correct Perkins and her mistake
GETTY
D’Arcy has opened up about their gender identity and navigating the acting industry as a non-binary person during an interview with E! News last year and said: “When I was starting out, I really felt that I had to pretend.
“To present as a woman in order to find success in this industry. Anyway, it wasn’t sustainable, and I stopped pretending. And weirdly, it’s at that point that I got nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes. Which is beautifully ironic.”
They added: “I think the most important thing is that it implies that the space for trans people and gender-nonconforming people is getting bigger all the time. So, I feel very privileged.”