Matt Smith, the former Doctor Who star, was on Happy Sad Confused podcast recently and spilled some details about HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. Smith will play Daemon Targaryen — a violent, lustful member of House Targaryen who loves making war and covets the Iron Throne which, his brother King Viserys Targaryen I (Paddy Considine), occupies. On the podcast, Matt Smith says his character is “an interesting and dark and disturbed part to play.”
What Attracted Matt Smith to House of the Dragon?
That’s one thing that attracted Smith to take the role among other reasons. “And I thought, ‘oh, you know it’d be interesting to try on a blonde wig as well. All of that. And fly on some dragons and get involved in some sword fights.’”
Everyone loved Dani’s (Emilia Clarke) dragons in Game of Thrones. Even Kit Harington’s Jon Snow got to ride one. And speaking of dragons, there are a lot in House of the Dragon. Sources say there are about a couple dozens, but not all of them will have major roles. Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen will ride Caraxes, one of the major dragons in the show and it’s just as war-driven as his rider.
“Caraxes is pretty good, y’know? He’s big and red and angry,” Matt Smith said. “He’s a really angry dragon. Mine’s the angriest of all the dragons. There is no angrier dragon than Caraxes. He’s a real moody bastard.”
Game of Thrones was one of a kind. It’s a series that comes around once in a generation. It captivated pop-culture fans worldwide. HBO is hoping for the same success for the prequel, which is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. But it will be hard for House of the Dragon to match that same energy and following like the GOT had.
Matt Smith spoke about what he thought about House of the Dragon matching up with Game of Thrones in terms of success. “It’s impossible for this show to ever really succeed in the way that Thrones did,” he said. “Thrones became a sort of cultural phenomenon for many people, and it’s never gonna quite scale those heights in the same way, cause that was its own unique thing. Whether people are ready to receive or not, who knows? You never know. But we make it in earnest and we try to deliver something that is an entertaining world, with dragons and sword fights.”
No one really knows until House of the Dragon takes flight when it premieres January 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.
