Actor Matt Smith is now on House of the Dragon after his previous turn as Milo Morbius in the most profound superhero film in the course of human history. He has scores of other projects to his name, and, now, has revealed what made him go into Westeros.
The 39-year-old elaborates on his decision to play Daemon Targaryen on the show in a new article published by The Hollywood Reporter today. Smith says he was initially hesitant, but continued on and did a test after the offer did not go away, and ultimately one of the major pulls for him was getting to work alongside another actor whose work he has always been an admirer of.
“I became aware that Paddy Considine was doing the show as well. He’d already been offered the role of King Viserys, and I was such a huge admirer of Paddy’s and I’d always wanted to work with him. So that was a real draw.”
Elsewhere in the piece, Smith says he appreciates his character’s ambiguity and ruthlessness. He also appreciates his relationship with his brother, and, says the key to signing on for any part is to disappear and not to listen to the outside voices of critics.
“I learned that with Doctor Who. It was such an adverse reaction when I first got that part, and you just have to shut it out and focus on the work. I always knew I could add something to it. It won’t be to everyone’s pace, I’m sure. But I certainly feel that I’ve made a connection with Daemon and with the other actors as well. I think we’ve got a wonderful cast.”
House of the Dragon is now airing on HBO and HBO Max. The first season will consist of 10 episodes. While it takes place more than a century before the events of Game of Thrones, it is still as awash with violence as the initial series. A scene in the opening episode pulls no punches and those behind it have explained it is intended to showcase how hard things have been in the past. The show is also breaking records with its initial episode pulling in 10 million viewers to become HBO’s most-watched premiere ever.