Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: game of thrones, house of the dragon

House of the Dragon Star Matt Smith Admires Daemon's DGAF Attitude

House of the Dragon star Matt Smith spoke about what he admires about playing Prince Daemon Targaryen on HBO's "Game of Thrones" series.

When Matt Smith got cast as Daemon Targaryen in the HBO Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, there were certain fast-and-loose expectations that come with the territory about the George R. R. Martin universe under Ryan Condal. With the season three premiere looming and the Targaryen civil war ramping up, aka The Dance of the Dragons, Smith spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, who asked him if playing the prince and royal consort of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) felt weirdly cathartic.

House of the Dragon Star Matt Smith on How It Feels Playing Daemon Targaryen Entering Season 3

When THR asked him about getting into Daemon's head, "Yeah, because he doesn't give a fuck, excuse my language," Smith said. "That's one of the things I admire about [Daemon Targaryen] is [he's] like, 'Whatever, mate. I'm going to cut his head off anyway.'" Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), who was passed over in the royal line of succession, breaking with Westeros tradition of a male heir when Viserys hand-picked his niece, Rhaenyra, instead. While he could have easily remained bitter, he eventually embraced her claim to the Iron Throne, even consummating their relationship with children.

Unfortunately, throwing a wrench in the plans of Rhaenyra's succession that would cause the eventual family civil war is Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), the widow of Viserys I, who bore his child, claiming that it is her son, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), who would carry the line of succession; instead, it was on his deathbed that he changed his mind. That would set things in motion as the two sides gather their respective allies, and certain family members would die in the process in their blood feud with Aegon ruling from King's Landing and Rhaenyra's base of operations in Dragonstone.

Is playing Daemon Targaryen in #HouseoftheDragon weirdly cathartic for Matt Smith?

"Yeah, cause he doesn't give a f*** — excuse my language!" pic.twitter.com/yibKsyyDXs

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 8, 2026

House of the Dragon season three, which also stars Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Ewan Mitchell, and Harry Collett, premieres June 21st on HBO with new episodes on Sundays.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!