House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal had Matt Smith’s face in mind when he wrote the role of Daemon Targaryen in the series. Soon, he met with Smith to discuss the role along with co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik in 2020. Smith agreed to the role but he had his concerns about the series. He was worried that the series came too soon after Game of Thrones ended and that audiences had already seen this story.
Smith’s concerns were unfounded as the first season of the series received an overwhelmingly positive response from GoT fans. He is all set to return to the role in HoTD Season 2, which will focus on the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen Civil War between Rhaenyra’s team Black and Alicent’s team Green.
House of the Dragon Actor Matt Smith Had Genuine Concerns Before Joining The Series
Game of Thrones sure had a divisive finale hated by many fans, hence Matt Smith still doubted whether House of the Dragon would ever live up to the original series. The Doctor Who actor revealed that it was one of the concerns that he raised with the creators of the show when he met with them for the first time. Smith shared with Variety:
“My concern is that we’ve seen this story told. That’s the first thing I said.”
Smith couldn’t shake off these concerns even after he was cast as Daemon Targaryen in the series. He worried that the taste of the audience in the genre had changed since Emilia Clarke‘s series premiered in 2011. He shared that the consumption of such content had changed and the market had become saturated.
The Crown actor’s worst fears did not come true as the series was well received by the audience. The first season received praise for its characters, visuals, writing, score, and performances including Smith’s Daemon. The series even managed to outperform The Rings of Power which was released in 2022. However, Smith doesn’t expect his show to still outmatch the epic, that is Game of Thrones. He shared:
You’re never going to create the moment in time that ‘Game of Thrones’ was — the love and affection and scale of that show. It’s never going to be that, because it was a moment in time.
Smith had already gone through the same experience when he took over as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who. Fans eventually came around to his performance as the titular character. Smith also shared his role in the upcoming season of House of the Dragon.
Fans Will Not Get To See Matt Smith And Emma D’Arcy’s Chemistry In Season 2
One of the highlights of the first season of the series is the chemistry between Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy. Rhaenyra and Daemon shared a perverse relationship in the series that reminded fans of the original series. Smith has very few combination scenes with D’Arcy and he shared that it was quite difficult to film without them. He shared with Variety:
It was difficult to do it without them because I love them — a person of real depth and sardonic humor and fierce intellect.
Smith also commented on the departure of Miguel Sapochnik, the co-creator of the series. He shared that Sapochnik had a greater effect on the tone of the show since he directed a few episodes of Game of Thrones. Smith shared that the loss of the creator was felt throughout the second season. He shared:
It’s a shame, because it had a great effect on the tone of the show, and knowing what you need to deliver. It’s kind of second-album syndrome, isn’t it? You’ve got to play the hits a bit. People have got to feel like they’re getting some sense of a ‘Game of Thrones’-type of show. We wish him well — but certainly, when you lose a director of that caliber, you’re going to feel it.
Condal shared with Variety that his job remained the same as a solo showrunner. However, he added that he got help from five different directors who helmed the eight episodes of the second season.
Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon Season 1 are now available on Max. The second season of the prequel series will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16.
