GIVENCHY jacket, vest, and necklace and pants and BURBERRY shoes.

I am an American, and therefore do not live under a monarchy like, say, our UK brethren. Therefore, whenever the title of ‘prince’ is brought up in conversation, (besides “Little Red Corvette”) my thoughts are less rooted in historical accuracy and more inspired by fiction and fantasy. There is, indeed, a duality in fictional princes, which I am not positive exists in real life. On one hand, there is the noble and romantic version, the symbolic knight in shining armor, a rescuer, someone to aspire towards. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is the bloodthirsty and scheming prince. A stain on the royal family. Despite their differences in personality, all men of this title share a similar trait: a thirst to inherit power. The unbearable yearning to switch their title from prince to king.

Thus far into his career, UK-born actor, Matt Smith, has enjoyed being cast as royalty in the entertainment world. For two seasons, he played Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in Netflix’s The Crown, a series which depicts the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family. In his breakout part for the majority of American audiences, Smith’s portrayal of the young prince is one of a man burdened by the responsibilities of his title. A complex character, though one who ultimately held the best intentions for his family and country.

This fall, with the premiere of House of the Dragon on HBO, the highly anticipated prequel series to Game of Thrones, Smith once again inhabits the role of a prince; this time, however, he drifts more towards the dark realm of the throne. Smith plays prince Daemon Targaryen, the son of Prince Baelon and a brother of King Viserys I Targaryen, who is the heir to his brother’s throne, but by the end of the first episode, the title has been stripped away from him due to his volatile behavior and questionable decisions. After one episode, it’s a struggle to pinpoint where Daemon’s loyalty stands. And there is little doubt that his reaction to losing the throne, and what he plans on doing to regain control, will be a centerpiece of House of the Dragon’s storyline. “He’s a hugely conflicted man and that was one of the things I was really interested in,” says Smith about Prince Daemon’s temperament. “There is a sort of ambiguity there that you can’t quite touch. He’s sort of a mixture of all the letters of the alphabet, all the time. A tumble dry, you never know what is going to come out.”

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Smith was born in Northampton in 1982. His grandfather was a professional football player and Smith wished to follow suit. However, a serious injury at the age of sixteen derailed those dreams, and he switched gears towards acting, landing parts in a few theatrical plays. One of his teachers noticed his talent and encouraged him to continue developing his skillset, so he leaned further into the career and became a regular at London’s most established playhouses. “I did a play at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, an American play called Fresh Kills,” he says about the first time he received a paycheck for acting, which was the moment he knew his dream had become a reality. “I was like ‘I can’t believe they are paying me to do this, this is insane’.”

I am speaking with Smith a week before the worldwide premiere of House of the Dragon. He is nearing the final push of the press tour, and in the past few weeks, he has globe-trotted for premieres in Amsterdam, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and then finally his hometown, London. On his side of the world, there is a thunderstorm with heavy rainfall, and throughout the call, he paces around his flat, which he says he prefers to a traditional sit-down face to face interview. And I can’t help but wonder if the pacing has anything to do with the upcoming lift of the embargo HBO held over critical reviews of the show’s first episode.

House of the Dragon is, of course, no ordinary premiere, as there are massive expectations from HBO for the show to meet the bar the Game of Thrones franchise set. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the series creator George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire—the novel from which both series are adapted—admitted that there are hopes that it will lead to something akin to the Marvel or Star Wars universes, a long-form story told in multiple shows and movies. And hearing all this, it’s easy to assume that all these future plans are leveraged on the commercial and critical success of House of the Dragon. I ask Smith if he believes that there is a sort of pressure he faces when asking to resuscitate a franchise that ended three years ago. “Are we going to be able to recreate the success of Game of Thrones?” he asks. “No. Because it was its own cultural phenomenon. But they set it up for us to hopefully carry it on in some way, and fly the flag, and create something original that brings new people to the table. But yes, there is pressure, but ultimately I think it is pressure that drives you forward.”

During its eight seasons on air, Game of Thrones received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, including wins for Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. It broke records for viewership at HBO, and its series finale was seen live by over 19 million people. It is often considered one of the best television series of all time. House of the Dragon is the first spin-off of the franchise since its series finale.

But Game of Thrones is not just a critic’s success story—it is also a show which has inspired a passionate and devoted fanbase. As has long been the case, during ages of great distress, many turn to fiction and fantasy stories as a sort of emotional rescue, something stable and controlled that can weather a storm—Game of Thrones created this type of connection with its fanbase. And, like many cult shows which have come before it, Game of Thrones inspired real life and virtual conventions which, to this day, attract legions of fans, many cosplaying their favorite character.

A lot of the speculative pressure and anxiety associated with reviving the franchise stems from Game of Thrones’ final season, and more specifically, its finale. Despite its numerous accolades, many fans considered the show’s eighth season—a season free from the novel’s restraints, since Martin has still infamously not finished the book series—a blight on its reputation, especially the ending, which divided its devoted audience. Will House of the Dragon’s first episode reignited the magic of the original series, or was the final season of Game of Thrones be a sign of things to come? Whether the show is a resounding hit or a miss, (it seems to be a hit so far, as the series premiere was the most watched in HBO history) it is guaranteed to spark discourse and feature kick ass effects and drama, with audiences certainly being vocal about their opinions.

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“The fan bases are really passionate,” Smith shares, “and that is a good thing, and they are also intimidating, which is also a good thing. It’s a universal feeling to be passionate and care and be invested in a story. These books are loved by tons of people. But I tend to steer clear [of reviews], because either it will be really bad or really good, and anything else you are sort of not interested in, or it’s irrelevant.”

Like playing a prince, Smith is no stranger to rescuing a beloved show which was once a cultural phenomenon. In 2010, as a relative unknown, he beat out more established actors like Robert Carlyle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, to win the role of the Eleventh Doctor in the wildly popular UK series Dr. Who, a science-fiction show that has aired off-and-on since the early 1960s. This career-making role solidified Smith as the youngest doctor in the show’s 26 years. “There’s a small group of people who were auditioning for it,” he says about the casting process. “It’s all very secretive, you can’t tell anyone. You are going into hotels and checking in under different names. It’s all very cloak and dagger as an experience, which made it quite interesting. But I had two meetings and then it came my way—I was thrilled.”

Smith rose to the challenge and cemented his place in the show’s pantheon of memorable doctors. Critics recognized his acting chops and nominated him for a BAFTA, the first Doctor to be recognized for such a prize in the show’s tenure. “It was such a lovely period of life, and I always feel very proud to be associated with it,” says Smith, reflecting on his 44 episodes and two made-for-television films as the iconic doctor. “But it’s a very demanding job, and I think that there is a time for everyone when they are like, ‘I’m going to try something else.’ And I certainly reached that point.”

Smith stepped down from the role as the Eleventh Doctor in 2013 and passed the crown to Peter Capaldi. As his follow-up, he took on the aforementioned role of Prince Philip in The Crown, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He then began pursuing roles in film, portraying a cyborg in Terminator: Genisys (a movie which coincidentally starred Emilia Clarke, also known as Daenerys Targaryen), playing famed homicidal maniac Charles Manson in Charlie Says, and a supporting role as Jack in 2021’s Last Night in Soho, directed by Edgar Wright. “I just want to be challenged,” Smith says about the roles he chooses to audition for. “You want to get these parts that feel like they stretch you, and you have to push yourself professionally and creatively and be engaged. I’m in my forties, and I want to keep improving and finding these parts.”

The role of Prince Daemon certainly challenged Smith in new ways. Shooting for the series took over a year, and filming took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This, of course, resulted in many delays which took a toll on the actor’s body. Playing Daemon requires a certain amount of physicality, which resulted in a grueling shooting process. Early on, during rehearsal for a sword fight between him and fellow actor Fabien Frankel, Smith’s sword ricocheted off Fabien’s shield and struck Smith’s head, causing him a neck injury. “It was tricky because I had to go back and film, which was a pain in the neck—literally and metaphorically speaking.”

But for now, the work of being a prince is completed, and since he has sowed the seed, it is time for him to reap the harvest. When I ask what is next for Matt Smith, he lists a string of directors he wishes to work with (including Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve), but mostly there is a question mark lingering in the air. “Now I’m going to chill in my boots and put my feet up for a bit,” says Smith, as our conversation comes to a close. “See if I can do another job before next year, that would be nice. Though I don’t know what it is.”

As I’m writing and re-listening to the audio files from interviewing Matt Smith, I realize something which I hadn’t during our time together: there is a strong possibility that Smith, or rather Daemon, doesn’t survive the first season of House of the Dragon. With my line of questions, I assumed that if there was a season two, Daemon would be included. Yet, even though he shares top billing amongst his castmates, the Game of Thrones universe—and, more specifically, George R. R. Martin—are known for killing off main characters without a moment’s notice. Who can forget the first season’s major twist when Ned Stark was beheaded? It was one of the most shocking deaths in the history of television, made even more jolting given Sean Bean’s status as both the show’s leading character and its most recognizable character following his time on The Lord of the Rings. It was a significant moment in the show’s run where it challenged audiences to expect the unexpected.

So when Matt Smith says he is unsure of his next moves as an actor, it could be because Prince Daemon could meet an untimely fate and Smith’s role in the series would come to an end. Filming is wrapped, and while Smith knows the fate of Daemon by the tenth episode’s final shot, he has no plans on telling anyone. And as of right now, the reader, myself, and all the millions of fans don’t know what his fate will bring. What we do know is that the finale airs on October 23rd, and until then, each Sunday this fall, we will, like Matt Smith, chill in our boots for a bit and watch what kind of Prince Daemon will become. Will he continue his self-destructive path, as we’ve been given a taste of in our viewing thus far? Or will he inherit the Iron Throne and rescue the kingdom from anguish?

Photographed by Charlie Gray
Styled by Jay Hines
Groomer: Petra Sellge
Flaunt Film by Solar Flare
Written by Christopher Andrew Armstorng
Style Assistant: Ashley Powell