“Grief is the catalyst of this season,” says Matt Smith on Daemon’s crazy actions in House of the Dragon Season 2

With the death of King Viserys and Prince Lucerys in House of the Dragon season 1, both factions are grieving as we dive into the next season. Emotions are spilling over the edge on both sides even as they gear up for war. Daemon Targaryen, who needs to be a rock for his wife Rhaenyra, is himself falling apart as the past catches up to him.

Matt Smith claims that Daemon acts like a crazy person in the upcoming season as he is struggling to feel grief and come to terms with his brother’s death. The power struggle is secondary since in hindsight, Viserys always trusted and had confidence in Daemon. Having lost him, Daemon also feels a bit hazy about his future.

Ryan Condal talks about House of the Dragon season 2 not having time jumps

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A hint at the beginning of filming of House of the Dragon season 2 promised that it won’t contain time jumps. Ryan Condal claims season 1 needed jumps to establish a base and help audiences understand the characters. Now, with a giant war afoot, the showrunner claims season 2 of House of the Dragon has serialized storytelling. We can expect a cliffhanger at the end of episodes that enables them to pick up the story where they left off. Condal added,

“In season 1, each episode happens in a discreet timeline so it was harder to lean on such traditional storytelling tools. However, in season 2 we have serialized storytelling where we move episode to episode and keep the momentum going.”

It was indeed a lot of effort to fit so many years of conflicts and trauma in one season, so the showrunners had to jump between timelines. Now, with a stable base, the show can go on in real time.

Also Read: Alicent is forced into early retirement, says Olivia Cooke at House of the Dragon season 2 premiere panel discussion

Eve Best says she hasn’t watched House of the Dragon Season 1

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During the press conference, Ryan Condal asked the cast if anyone has watched the entire first season of the show. This was perhaps to get in the zone of the character and also sort of catch up on the story. To this, Eve Best, who plays Rhaenys in the show, said,

“I’m just completely allergic and so disgusted by myself on screen that I can never do it.”

She is not the only actor who does not like watching their own projects. Best is in the company of other actors who prefer to remain on camera and not watch themselves like Johnny Depp and Reese Witherspoon.

Steve Toussaint says he hasn’t read the Fire & Blood book

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Since Fire & Blood is a complete book rather than an unfinished one like Game of Thrones, fans who have read the books know how it all ends. Intriguingly, a fan asked the cast of House of the Dragon season 2 the question of whether they have peaked at their impending fate or have wanted to be surprised. Steve Toussaint is the first to answer as she says,

“I chose not to. We were given the book. This is not because of spoilers but because they are two different mediums and I didn’t want to fall in love with what was on the page. We might not always stick to the book so it was better to just play the script.”

The actor makes a great point since the show might choose to go in a different direction than what the book states. Moreover, it’s harder to bring authentic emotions to life when you know how it all ends. Eventually, it feels pointless to even act out the parts since readers already know what fate awaits each character.

Also Read: New House of The Dragon video explains how the struggle for Iron Throne is different from that in Game of Thrones