Bethany Antonia takes the stage

There is a certain kind of control in the way Bethany Antonia approaches her work. Nothing in her trajectory is accidental. From her early beginnings in acting to her current position in House of the Dragon, she builds each role with a sense of timing that resists urgency. As Lady Baela Targaryen, she operates on a scale defined by spectacle and long production cycles, where character changes unfold slowly and with intent. This distance between script, shoot and release has become part of her method, shaping how she thinks about performance over time.

Talking to the Editor Ana MarkovicAntonia shifts the focus away from visibility and towards process. Her move to the theater, taking on Eurydice in Hadestown, introduces a different kind of discipline, based on repetition, presence and constant adaptation. The discussion moves through these contrasts without forcing a narrative between them. Instead, it reveals an actor who works in a variety of formats with clarity, treating each project as a separate system with its own rules, rhythm and demands.

How did you first get into showbiz and what was the first experience that made you realize it was what you were meant to do? – My mum put me in dance lessons as soon as I could walk – acting and singing came quickly after. I had so much energy when I was little and it was the only thing that entertained me. So it was a huge part of my childhood.

I started taking drama classes in high school and then joined a local acting group. Someone came into the group looking for young people to take part in a Shakespeare adaptation and I got the cast. This was my first job, I was 14 and I couldn’t believe that this was something I could do and call it a job. From there I never looked back.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work in so many different styles of storytelling.

At that point, what kind of stories were you hoping to be involved in? Has the reality of your career been different from what you expected? – I don’t think I even started thinking about what kind of stories I wanted to tell then, every story is a story worth telling when you’re 14. So I definitely got more excited about the means and the style of saying them and figuring out what kind of actor I wanted to be.

And I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work in so many different styles of storytelling.

What did House of the Dragon teach you about power, beyond the script? – One of the blessings of being on a show like this for as long as we have now is that you get to watch the character you’re playing develop incredibly slowly. I read about what’s coming years before we shoot it, we talk about costumes she’s going to wear years before they’re made. Everything that happens to her on screen seems like slow motion to me, from script to shoot to post and launch to shoot. And it has taught me so much about the power of patience. How much you can gain from taking things slow and building things individually piece by piece. This extends to my personal life in so many ways. I was 22 when I signed on to the show, and I’m 28 now!

One of the blessings of being on a show like this (House of the Dragon) for the time we have now is that you get to watch the character you’re playing develop incredibly slowly.

Has being part of such a large series made you more confident or self-aware? – Initially it made me incredibly self-aware. Even though I knew the legacy that preceded it, I definitely underestimated the eyes that would be on us as actors, and I didn’t always feel kind or welcome. But recently, I’ve been able to find a lot of joy in exposure and find ways to channel it into excitement and positivity. I feel so proud and excited about what I am a part of.

In an industry that increasingly uses algorithms to predict audience desires, do you worry that we’re just getting caught in a loop of what worked yesterday? What was the last movie or show that blew your mind with its originality and made you think, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming”? – There is no art without inspiration, so I wouldn’t say it’s like trapping. But there is certainly room to tell new stories that are still untold. The most excited I’ve been for a show in a long time was watching Rapman’s Supacell on Netflix last year. It felt like a glorious homecoming for a new style of storytelling on black British television.

And to my point about no art without inspiration, I also recently watched Marc Evans Mr Burton – and it blew me away. It’s based on a true story, but the way they chose to tell it was so brilliant and so detailed, it really stuck with me. This is a really good example of telling a true story that can still be incredibly original and fresh.

We’ve reached a point where if a dragon actually flew over London tomorrow, it would probably only stay in the news cycle for about twenty minutes. Do you feel like the world has finally figured out fantasy writers? – It really is. Which speaks volumes for how desensitized we are becoming to what is going on around us. We’re kind of beyond flying dragons already if we zoom out for a second.

Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of playing Eurydice. Roles like this come once in a lifetime and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity.

Tell us about Hadestown. How does it feel when a dream comes true? Does the reality of standing on that stage feel exactly like you imagined, or has the real thing completely blown you away? It’s weird looking at the cast and realizing you’re not watching the show anymore, but you’re in it? – SO WEIRD. Oh my. Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of playing Eurydice. If we were doing this interview a year ago and you asked me what my dream theater role was, I would have said. Roles like this come once in a lifetime and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity. It really feels exactly like I hoped. Live, carbonated, always relevant, different every night. I’m really happy when I’m on stage and Hadestown has cemented that in every way.

What is the one thing about the character of Eurydice that made you say “I have to play her”, long before you even auditioned? – It has been at the top of the chart since Anais first released the album. The music in the show pulls your heart out of your chest and forces you to face what you’re holding on to. And every song that Eurydice sings brings out something to me. She is so layered and nuanced and I found so much myself in her words long before I was able to play her. It’s so rare that this happens, I just fell in love with her from the very first second.

I feel so lucky that over the past decade I have been able to participate in such a diverse spread of works and storytelling.

Now that you’ve already checked one of your ‘Ultimate Dream Roles’ off your list and escaped the dragons of Westeros, what’s your next move? If you were to open a new spreadsheet for the next ten/twenty years, is the goal to find an even bigger underworld to conquer, get a chance to fly, or start scouting locations for that animal sanctuary where the goats can enjoy their days? – Ugh. Big question. I feel so lucky that over the past decade I have been able to participate in such a diverse spread of works and storytelling. If things can continue in this direction, I will be very happy.

There are still a few things I haven’t mastered yet. I would love to do a Shakespeare play soon and work on Broadway, and of course those animal shelter plans are always in the works!!!

Photographer ELLA ROSE PECK
Stylist LOUIS STRATTON
Makeup MORGAN WHITE
Hair LUCIA JOSEPHINE
Upheavals MERRYN HELS
Movement Director LEE JAY HOY
Fashion assistants ALEXANDRIA OF & LOGON SCREEN
Talent BETHANIA ANTONIA