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Matt Smith has spoken about getting heat from fans about his casting as Daemon in the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, and why he was initially hesitant to join the fantasy show. Smith also discussed how he believes House of the Dragon will never be able to match the cultural footprint of Game of Thrones.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said it’s an actor’s job to “disappear” and shut out the “outside noise.” He has a lot of experience in this regard, thanks to Doctor Who.
“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,” Smith said.
Smith said he’ll never be able to please everyone, but is proud of what he’s achieved with Daemon on House of the Dragon. “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,” he said.
Also in the interview, Smith spoke about how he was originally hesitant about taking on the role of Daemon in House of the Dragon. He worried it would be tough to follow Game of Thrones, which was one of the biggest TV shows ever.
“I was in a car park and my agent said, ‘There’s this part in this new show that is a prequel to Game of Thrones.’ And I was like, ‘Ohhh. I don’t know. It’s a tough one, isn’t it? It’s a tough one to follow. Haven’t we seen this before?’ But then [the offer] sort of didn’t go away,” Smith said. “Then it came up again, and then I went in for a screen test and then that was that.”
Smith said he was convinced to sign on after learning Paddy Considine was cast as King Viserys in House of the Dragon. Smith said he was “such a huge admirer” of the actor and always wanted to work with him. Viserys and Daemon are brothers, and Smith said he was drawn to the role because of his character’s relationship with Viserys and because he was intrigued to play such a ruthless character.
“There’s a ruthlessness in his personality that I thought was really interesting to see characters who behave that badly. But in many ways, he comes from what he thinks is quite a genuine place,” Smith said.
Finally, Smith said House of the Dragon will never be able to replicate the success or impact of the original Game of Thrones. That show had a “cultural footprint” and became a “phenomenon,” Smith said, noting that it would be “impossible to replicate or recreate” that. House of the Dragon is mainly about a family drama involving the Targaryens, while Game of Thrones had a wider scope.
“All we can do is focus on the show that we are trying to make, and while it belongs in the same world, hopefully, it will evolve and become its own thing,” Smith said. “This focuses on a tighter group of people, and Thrones was immediately much broader in story terms. This feels like more of a family drama. It’s never gonna re-create the levels of success that Thrones had because it can’t–it was a totally original moment. But we’ve tried to create something that feels entertaining in a similar way, but will hopefully take on a different identity.”
House of the Dragon is off to a good start, as the Season 1 premiere brought in about 10 million same-day viewers, which is the biggest season premiere for any original HBO show in history.
