Smith plays a Targaryen prince in this Game of Thrones spin-off.

This past weekend saw the premier of HBO’s House of the Dragon, a spin-off prequel series to the beloved Game of Thrones series set 200 years prior. The first episode was given a glowing reception, with so many people tuning into HBO Max to watch it that the service went down for a brief period.

One of the major contributing factors to the show’s success is an excellent cast, including veteran actor Matt Smith, best known for his roles in The Crown and Doctor Who. Smith plays Daemon Targaryen, an arrogant, yet undefeated warrior with a claim to the Iron Throne. Prior to the show’s premier, Smith spoke to GQ about his thoughts on the character.

“I think there’s a sort of inner fragility to him that I was very interested in. Yes, I do think he is a man that sort of instinctually, naturally, is quite a violent person. But I think there’s a weird sense of morality, and it’s warped, but it is, nevertheless, a sense of morality to him. And sometimes he thinks he’s doing the right thing, however violent and obtuse his behavior may appear. Often, in his head, he’s doing things for a good cause. So I guess what I’m saying is, to some level, it’s not just gratuitous violence. He’s not violent just to be violent. He’s violent because he thinks there is a purpose to it, generally speaking.”

Everyone applaud Matt Smith for his portrayal as Daemon Targaryen. He plays the Rogue Prince absolutely perfect. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/5SVdVIvQ5y

— Art of Ice and Fire (@ArtofASOIAF) August 22, 2022

When Smith was asked if his existing fanbase for his tenure with Doctor Who influenced his decision to be part of the show, he said that they are “a lovely community to be part of. And I can only hope that the Thrones community is something similar. We’ll have to see how they respond to the show and how they respond to Daemon Targaryen and King Viserys and all these other really brilliant characters that I happen to think have been played quite interestingly. But I feel very privileged to be a part of this.”