HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, will officially be upon us on August 21. The show dives into the land of Targaryen wigs before the dynasty’s fall, and as the title indicates, there will be plenty of fire-breathing creatures. And the showrunners are eager to avoid some of the blunders of its predecessor, like that Starbucks cup, and George R.R. Martin has been out there, trying to reassure people that the franchise and this prequel series aren’t “more misogynistic than real life.”
Martin also previously took a swing at “the f*cking toxic Internet.,” but let’s see how star Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown, and that Morbius dance) feels about things. Smith, who portrays Prince Daemon Targaryen, is now forecasting how this show doesn’t shy away from showing skin. That’s no surprise, but via Rolling Stone, Smith actually sounds like he could have done without so many sex scenes:
“You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?'” says Smith. “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.”
So Daemon has his share of bedchamber scenes is what you’re saying? “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me,” he laughs.
From there, Smith indicates that not only does Daemon get down with humans, but he’s also got a “very strong connection” with his dragon, Caraxes. “He’s a bit of an avatar of Daemon,” Smith offered. “[H]e’s grumpy, sardonic, insular, volatile, chaotic.” IGN further reveals that the series will feature nine dragons, each with a different personality, so that should be fun for the show to explore. And hopefully, the dragons’ various flights will not veer anywhere near this vibe from the O.G. series.
(Via Rolling Stone & IGN)