Matt Smith questioned the number of sex scenes while filming the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
In an interview with British Rolling Stone, the actor discusses the sex scenes in the prequel series to Game of Thrones based on George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood. The Emmy-winning HBO series Thrones, which ended in May 2019 after eight seasons, previously sparked debate over its sexualised content.
Smith admits he hasn’t read all of Fire & Blood. It’s a long book, after all. When asked whether his character has a fair share of sexy scenes, he laughed, “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me.”
“You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?'” Smith said. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time (we’re living in)?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written.”
Smith hasn’t seen House of Dragon yet, but he does hope it’s good. “Obviously, you’re standing on the legacy of a show that had a big impact on people. And you’re never going to be able to recreate that. It’s a bit like being in a band: you’ve got to play the hits, but you’ve also got to hope the second album delivers something that moves the narrative forward.’
Daemon is a fierce warrior and an accomplished dragonrider, which means Smith also gets a dragon. “My dragon’s called Caraxes. He’s a bit of an avatar of Daemon — he’s grumpy, sardonic, insular, volatile, and chaotic. There’s a very strong connection between the dragon and the dragonrider.”
It’s not all done with CGI, either: “There’s an actual dragon, and you sit on it, and they move it around by remote control while firing rain and all sorts of things at you.”
Game of Thrones fan
When Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, Smith was busy playing the eleventh Doctor. Despite Doctor Who’s gruelling schedule, he watched every Game of Thrones episode. “I’ve always been a fan. It’s just good, isn’t it? I remember going to Comic-Con for Doctor Who and meeting George R.R. Martin on a boat. Game of Thrones hadn’t come out yet, and I remember all the cast being there, having no idea what a huge juggernaut it was about to become….”
Smith also discussed Game of Thrones’ controversial finale, which divided viewers and prompted a petition calling for a reshoot.
He said: “I think you’re always going to disappoint some people. Ultimately, the body of work they produced stands up. “Was it a perfect ending? It’s a matter of opinion. It didn’t bother me. I liked it.”
Smith also talked about the reception of Morbius, the big-screen adaptation of the Marvel comics antihero that hit theatres in April and currently holds a 16 per cent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating.
“Yeah, it was thrown under the bus,” he said about the Jared Leto-starring movie. “But you just have to roll with it. What else are you gonna do? It’s a film; at the end of the day, we’re not saving lives. It didn’t quite work out for whatever reason, and it is what it is.”
House of the Dragon is due for release on 22 August on Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now TV.
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