It’s Matt Smith as you’ve rarely seen him.
The 39-year-old British actor has taken on his boldest role yet in HBO’s upcoming House of the Dragonthe much-anticipated prequel to game of Thrones debuting locally on Binge and Foxtel August 22.
Smith, who is best known for becoming the youngest actor to helm Doctor Who from 2010,-2014 as well as his Emmy-nominated performance as Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crownenter the thrones-sphere as Prince Daemon Targaryen.
The main antagonist – Daemon is the impulsive, power-hungry brother of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) in a world set around 200 years before the events of GoT.
While joining a franchise as universally lauded as thrones was reason enough to jump on-board, it was the complexities of this character that enticed Smith most.
“I thought he was really interesting and unknown. And I thought I could add something to him,” Smith says.
“I think you always feel an element of nerves going into every part, it felt sort of slightly outside of anything I’d done before, which is which is why I was attracted to do it.”
That’s not to say I loved every minute of it.
Smith says the nature of this production took an extreme physical and emotional toll on him. From sitting in the makeup chair for two hours to having the iconic Targaryen silver-haired wig fitted, to waiting around in hot, heavy armor.
“It was a great privilege to be apart of something like this, but it was grievous as well. It was a tough shoot. And it was a year over Covid and it wasn’t easy. It’s not like it was just bells and whistles,” he says.
“And this type of show, there’s so many characters in it. There’s a lot of hanging about on the set.”
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Admittedly, Smith feels overwhelmed on every set, saying his roles become his “sole focus.”
So, how does he stay sane?
“A pint of Guinness, watch some football. Go to the gym, do the normal stuff, walk my dog, you know, [I would] just go and do something that had nothing to do with blonde wigs and swords,” he says.
Few sets are as dynamic as this one. game of Thrones won Emmys for its immense fight scenes. Season 6’s ‘Battle of the Bastards’ (which was directed by HotD director Miguel Sapochnik) is as edge-of-your-seat-viewing as it gets.
Though, rehearsing such battles to the point of perfection can be risky.
French actor Fabien Frankel, who plays Sir Christen Cole in the prequel, reveals he almost damaged the money-maker – Smith’s pin-up face.
“I hit Matt in the face in our first rehearsal,” Frankel says. “My sword cut him in the head. We didn’t even really know each other.
Smith interjects, “It was your shield (which) hit my sword.”
While they laugh about it now, Frankel genuinely feared he was “going to get fired.”
“It was like, you know, you don’t want to insult Matt Smith,” he says.
Smith was one of the millions of diehard thrones fans, having watched the entirety of its eight season run.
He says he feels privileged to be welcomed into the world of Westeros for a new era, but of course, that sort of legacy warrants high stakes.
“But ultimately, it’s a good pressure,” Smith says.
“That had its own cultural footprint. And its success will never be repeated.
“There’s a huge fan base there. They love it. And we’re going to try and deliver something that’s original and entertaining and move the story forward, even though we’re moving the story backwards.”
House of the Dragon premieres express from the US on Binge and Foxtel August 22
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