Warning! SPOILERS for House of the Dragon ahead!Matt Smith plays the Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character, but why has his casting (and appearance) in the Game of Thrones prequel caused division among fans? Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which is written as an in-universe history detailing the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, House of the Dragon takes place 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Centering on King Viserys I Targaryen, the fifth Targaryen King, it will ultimately lead to the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, with Daemon Targaryen a key participant in this war. The Matt Smith Game of Thrones spinoff character, regarded as one of the best and most fierce warriors of the age, leads from the front during the tensions between the Hightower-led Greens and the Targaryen loyalist Blacks, and it’s into this role that Matt Smith has stepped.
While Smith was beloved for his work as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, the reception to his naming among the cast of House of the Dragon was more mixed ahead of the show. Back when word of the Matt Smith Game of Thrones spinoff role first surfaced, there was some social media chatter from A Song of Ice and Fire fans unhappy with the choice, as they didn’t see him as a good fit for the role (via Winter Is Coming). That continued as production began on House of the Dragon, which again led to some pushback that Smith didn’t quite look Targaryen enough (via The Things) – the sight of the Matt Smith House of the Dragon character sporting shoulder-length blonde hair was a lot to take in at first. This kind of division is hardly unusual in casting for roles based on beloved source material, and it also happened with the Game of Thrones cast. It also speaks to the dangers of type-casting and casting based solely on appearances, as well as the need to see a performance before truly judging it.
How Matt Smith’s Daemon Is Proving Critics Wrong
Smith is best known for his role as the Doctor, and his take on the character was that of a childlike alien, filled with wonder. It was great, but initially not something that made him an obvious choice to play the Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character, an arrogant, ambitious, powerful, and bad-tempered character. However, Smith was able to encompass all the more unsavory parts of Daemon’s personality on the screen. From his battle against the Crab Feeder to taking Rhaenyra to a brothel as a young girl, the actor has more than proven his abilities to take on Daemon Targaryen’s smirking immorality.
Another initial concern had to do with the actor’s appearance. He has the customary silver blonde hair of House Targaryen, complemented by their usual otherworldly good looks, although he is perhaps a bit more hardened. Costume designers have managed to squelch any insecurities regarding his appearance, as he looks distinctly Targaryen. He may not have been the obvious choice for the Matt Smith Game of Thrones spinoff character, but that itself makes the casting inherently interesting.
Not only that, but Smith has a full handle on the Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character. The actor has a dominating presence as the rogue prince, and he is more than believable when he commits his most salacious acts. He controls his scenes with the tiniest of smirks that can denote anything from outright espionage to moments of sincerity. Every action the character takes on screams authenticity. Whether he’s killing his own wife or mourning his second wife’s death only to bed his niece, the duplicitousness of Daemon Targaryen is brought to life through Matt Smith’s performance as the prince. While problems that were originally brought up by critics, such as his appearance and acting credentials, caused a stir, the actor has proven that he’s capable of not only taking on the role but also flourishing in it.
Matt Smith’s Resume Actually Set Him Up Well To Play Daemon
The actor’s work on The Crown, Last Night in Soho, and other less joyful projects also prove the supposed “credentials problem” wrong. Though he’s best known for Doctor Who, he does have other acting gigs that have helped ground him in the role, giving him spikier, less likable characters to inhabit. Ultimately, Matt Smith has proven the critics wrong in his portrayal of the Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character — but given his skill in portraying similar roles, it’s not at all surprising in retrospect. He looks the part, acts the part, and truly embodies Daemon’s sneering malice onscreen. House of the Dragon‘s most controversial casting didn’t turn out to be that controversial at all, as actor Matt Smith has more than proven that he is the right choice to play the rogue prince.
What’s Coming For Daemon In Future Seasons?
The Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character doesn’t have a happy ending. In true George R.R. Martin fashion, the problematic fan-favorite character meets a rather sticky end as the Dance of the Dragons goes full force. When audiences saw Daemon last, he was revealing the heartbreaking news of Lucerys’ death — all while plotting Rhaenyra’s war. Later on in the Dance of Dragons, Daemon and his dragon Caraxes land at Harrenhal, which sends squatters fleeing and the prince awaiting the greens’ retaliation. After about a fortnight, Aemond Targaryen and his monstrously huge dragon Vhagar arrive, and the two engage in battle. During the Battle above God’s Eye, Daemon heroically leaps off the saddle of his dragon to stab Aemond in his already-blind eye. Unfortunately, both dragons crash into the God’s Eye, and the dragons (and their riders) go falling to the ground. While Aemond’s body, and that of Vhagar’s, are found in the lake years later, Daemon’s body is never found. It’s a sad end for the Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon character, but his death seems to be in character for the Game of Thrones universe.
