‘House of the Dragon’ Star Matt Smith Calls 1 Part of His Character a ‘F**king Pain in the Arse’
House of the Dragon star Matt Smith hasn’t read the book the new Game of Thrones prequel is based on. As he explained in a recent interview, the reason he hasn’t made it through George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood in its entirety is that it’s a “big f**king book.”
Despite not reading all 736 pages, Smith easily transformed into one of the series’ silver-haired leads — Prince Daemon Targaryen. But he admits that one part of his character is a “f**king pain in the arse.”
Daemon Targaryen is the presumptive heir to the Iron Throne in ‘House of the Dragons’
Set two centuries before the events in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the dramatic story of the fall of House Targaryen. When the series begins, the family’s three-century dynasty is at the height of their power. King Viserys (Paddy Considine) is on the Iron Throne as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. And his younger brother Daemon is the presumptive heir.
“He’s sort of an outsider,” Smith told Rolling Stone about his character. “He’s not black and white, there are shades of grey with him, which is what interested me about him. And his relationship with his brother is really interesting. It was a joy working with Paddy Considine, who I’ve admired for so long, and Rhys Ifans (Ser Otto Hightower).”
Despite the expectation that Daemon would be named the heir, two of Viserys’ children end up with claims to the throne. This is what ultimately sparks a bloody civil war.
Matt Smith calls 1 part of his character a ‘f**king pain in the arse’
Smith has nothing but praise when it comes to the House of the Dragon ensemble cast, as well as the source material. He said that one thing they’ve got going for them is that the new series is based on Martin’s Fire & Blood, so they’re “not just plucking fantasy out of thin air.”
“It comes from the mind of George, who’s really clever, and has created a world that feels like it’s translatable,” the Doctor Who alum shared.
Smith does, however, have one complaint about his role — wearing the wig. He says that sporting the Targaryen’s signature platinum blond mane throughout the entire 10-month shoot was necessary, but extremely time-consuming.
“It looks great but it’s a f**king pain in the arse,” Smith revealed. “It took an hour and a quarter to put on every day. I was like, ‘Obviously, the Targaryens are known for their blonde hair — but can’t we just give them some highlights?’”
The ‘House of the Dragon’ star dishes on Daemon’s dragon Caraxes
One of the most important things about Prince Daemon as a character in House of the Dragon is the fact that he is a fierce warrior and accomplished dragonrider. Daemon rides Caraxes, one of the most powerful dragons in the series.
“My dragon’s called Caraxes. He’s a bit of an avatar of Daemon — he’s grumpy, sardonic, insular, volatile, chaotic. There’s a very strong connection between the dragon and the dragonrider,” Smith explained, who added that it wasn’t all done with CGI.
“There’s an actual dragon, and you sit on it and they move it around by remote control, while firing rain and all sorts of things at you.”
Fans will finally get to see Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen ride Caraxes when House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, August 21 on HBO.
