1 of 4 | Ewan Mitchell and Gayle Rankin star in "House of the Dragon," which wrapped its third season Sunday. Photo courtesy of HBO

NEW YORK, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- GLOW and Perry Mason alum Gayle Rankin says Alys, the mysterious witch she plays on House of the Dragon, has genuine feelings for Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), the erstwhile Iron Throne heir hiding out in her castle.

"The painful truth is that Alys Rivers does really care about Aemond," Rankin, 37, told reporters in a recent Zoom round-table interview.

"It's hard to know when anyone is performing, especially in this kind of world where everybody needs to get something and everybody is just trying to get what they want," she explained.

"What's painful about the relationship for Alys is that I think she does come to truly care for him and I think that's because she knows a lot about what's going to happen."