Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? As One of The ‘Mane’ Characters in HBO’s HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, Matt Smith is Up For Anything

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Matt Smith may be uniquely placed in TV history to finally answer the age-old question: does the hair make the man? Smith is front and centre as Prince Daemon Targaryen in HBO’s HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, the highly anticipated GAME OF THRONES prequel series that debuts Sunday, Aug. 21, only on Crave. And as any GAME OF THRONES fan will know, if there’s one visual element that signifies the House of Targaryen, it’s long, flowing, blonde hair. “The thing about the hair is, as much as it is laborious and difficult to go through the process of getting it on, it does work,” Smith said in a virtual panel interview with reporters. “It does make you feel like a Targaryen. And without it, sadly, I don’t.” It does take time to make it happen, though. “I’d be very, very happy if it just appeared,” Smith said of the heavy blonde mane. “Or if I could just use my own hair and it looked blonde, and that was good enough. Yeah, I’d take that every day of the week, 100%. If I didn’t have to go through the hour-and-a-half of makeup every day, I’d be a much happier bunny.” Bunnies notwithstanding, there are plenty of dragons on display right from the get-go in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. The massive creatures are at the very heart of the Targaryens’ power. As the story begins – approximately 200 years before the events in GAME OF THRONES – the Targaryens are the seemingly invincible masters of the Seven Kingdoms, having ruled largely unchallenged for a century. But as often is the case in the real world as well, the most magnificent and arrogant empires tend to be brought down not by outside forces, but by internal struggles, rivalries, and resentments. Smith, of course, is a well-known English actor who has played everyone from the beloved and eccentric lead character in DOCTOR WHO, to a frustrated and glowering Prince Philip in THE CROWN. Smith said he was drawn to the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON because of the complexity of the character, who is both dangerous and vulnerable. “I try to sort of seek out parts that feel, on some level, slightly unattainable,” Smith explained. “When you get them, you’re sort of like, oh, gosh, yes, I know I can add something to it, but there’s also an element of making me nervous somehow. Can I do it? Can I pull this off? What’s my way in? And so they (the characters) feel slightly out of reach, I suppose. With this, I read the first script and I thought there was a sort of greyness to the character – by which I mean, not a black-and-whiteness. I thought there was a complexity to him that would be really interesting to explore. So I gave it a whirl, and I hope it’s entertaining.” Daemon’s entertaining menace is on full display in the first episode. “I suppose everyone’s menace is sort of unique to them, and it’s about the circumstances of the story,” Smith said. “But I think with Daemon, actually, as much as he’s menacing, I think the danger in him comes from his fragility. There’s a strange sort of tenderness to his menace. We’ll learn more about that as the season goes on. But it’s always nice, and good fun, to play a baddie. Whether Daemon’s a baddie or not, I’m not sure, really. But certainly it’s enjoyable to play someone on that side of the tracks.” Ultimately, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON will be compared to GAME OF THRONES, but Smith said the makers of the new series can’t worry about that in the grand scheme. “I think it’s impossible to recreate the success of GAME OF THRONES – it was a cultural phenomenon,” Smith said. “But you know, we’re proud to try and continue the legacy, and forge something original in its wake. We’re just privileged to sort of carry the torch.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv