House of the Dragon: Matt Smith says he sought to make his warrior character more ‘delicate’

‘I think he’s quite a fragile creature,’ Smith said of the warrior prince

Matt Smith wanted to show a more sensitive side to his character in the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.

Smith plays warrior prince Daemon Targaryen in the show; the younger brother of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine).

In the books, penned by fantasy author George RR Martin, Daemon is referred to as “dashing, daring, and dangerous” with a hot temper.

During an interview with Considine for “The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon”, Smith said he sought to “subvert” the idea that Daemon was simply a “bad guy, good warrior”.

“I wanted to make it slightly more delicate, fragile. I think he’s quite a fragile creature,” Smith said.

In the story, Considine’s Viserys chooses his daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) to succeed him, over Daemon – the rightful heir to the throne.

Asked whether Daemon would suit the role of king, Smith replied: “I don’t know if I’ve projected this onto him but I’ve found for someone who, on the page, looks sort of disloyal and irreverent, [but] actually, there’s a real sense of value and loyalty about him and there’s a weird sort of sensitivity to him.”

Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen (Ollie Upton/HBO)

House of the Dragon is set two centuries before the “the fall of the throne”, and also stars Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans.

Last month, showrunner Michael Sapochnik – who directed several Game of Thrones episodes – said that House of the Dragon “pulls back” on the number of sex scenes.

“You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified,” he said.

House of the Dragon will debut in the US on HBO Max on 21 August and on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 22 August in the UK.