Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy play the roles of Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. While the two have great on-screen chemistry, the love and respect they have for one another in real life is what wins our hearts.
Recently, Matt Smith had social media going all “aww” with his sensible yet adorable act of defending Emma D’Arcy when an interviewer unknowingly misgendered them in front of the actor. The best part is, that Matt Smith was not rude or snobby about the interviewer using the wrong pronouns for his friend. Instead, he decided to take a more subtle route to correct her.
Matt Smith Corrects Interviewer for Using the Wrong Pronouns for Emma D’Arcy
Emma D’Arcy identifies as non-binary and their preferred pronouns are they/them. However, people often forget to stick to these when talking about the actor. This is what happened at the London premiere of House of the Dragon’s season two.
While on the red carpet, reporter Sue Perkins got hold of Matt Smith where while talking about D’Arcy, she ended up using the wrong pronouns. Perkins talked about the climactic scene from season one where Daemon tells Rhaenyra that her son, Lucerys, had died.
According to Perkins, D’Arcy gave the scene’s credit to Smith but while telling Smith this, the reporter said, “She gave you all the credit…”
Smith realized that she had used the wrong pronoun for D’Arcy but decided not to make a scene and instead answered Perkins’ question using the correct pronouns.
He said, (via Variety),
I can’t take the credit, [but] I have to say, aren’t they brilliant? They are absolutely brilliant and you’re in for a real treat with Emma this year, I think Emma’s put in … a really great performance.
Thus, not only did Smith make a point of using D’Arcy’s preferred pronouns, but he also managed to do it in a very gentle and sensible way. On the other hand, if it was his fictional counterpart, Daemon, things wouldn’t have been this calm. After all, Daemon doesn’t hold back while defending the Queen. Remember when he sliced off Vaemond’s head right in the middle of the throne room when he insulted Rhaenyra and her sons? Exactly.
Fans Praise Matt Smith’s Move
After seeing how Smith managed the situation with such grace and professionalism, fans were absolutely enamored. They took to social media to express their appreciation for the actor and they did not hold back at all.
From calling the incident “endearing” to asking if Smith could possibly get any more awesome, fans were head over heels for the actor standing up for Emma.
Take a look at what some of them had to say about it all:
Matt correcting Sue on Emma's pronouns OH MY HEART 😭 pic.twitter.com/G6kBssjIG2
— gee 🗡 (@uncledaddyism) June 10, 2024
But what a way for Matt Smith to deal with the issue without drawing too much attention to it, without making Sue feel bad, and still paying enormous respect to Emma's identity. A difficult balance and he played it superbly and showed what a good-hearted guy he is.
— The Longest Night ⚔️🐉🔥 (@LongestNightGOT) June 11, 2024
Sue misgendering Emma and Matt just saying They They They 💯
— Kayla Charisse (@KayCharisse) June 10, 2024
Can Matt get any more awesome? I love that he stands up for Emma and corrects the interviewer on their pronouns.
— Lassharleymarie1 (@Lassharleymari1) June 11, 2024
Matt correcting interviewers over Emma’s pronouns is endearing #HouseoftheDragon
— tracey helton mitchell MPA she/her (@traceyh415) June 10, 2024
matt smith correcting interviewers on emma d’arcys pronouns we love that MANNNNNNN!
— lori megan ☽ (@lorimeganxo) June 10, 2024
Smith has always spoken about D’Arcy in a charming way which proves that the two have a great off-screen relationship. During a recent interview with Variety, he opened up about how difficult it was for him to not have D’Arcy as a scene partner in the upcoming season 2.
It was difficult to do it without them because I love them — a person of real depth and sardonic humor and fierce intellect.
D’Arcy also hated being separated from Smith and stated with a laugh, “it was kind of rubbish!” They added that they have petitioned for more screen time with Smith in season 3.
Stream House of the Dragon on Max.
