Matt Smith talks about challenges he faced portraying Daemon Targaryen

It is quite common for actors, especially in prolific roles, to get forever tethered to their on-screen character. The problem is further exacerbated when the character portrays an iconic figure in a franchise that has spanned for decades. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Matt Smith talks about his challenges playing Daemon Targaryen.

Even though House of the Dragon debuted a mere two weeks ago, there was a lot of hype around the show well before its reveal. Matt Smith, in particular, received quite a lot of flak from fans because of him playing the titular character in Dr Who. The outrage is somewhat understandable, as it becomes difficult to dissociate an actor from the character at times.

Matt says that he was initially perturbed by the fans’ outrage, but decided to plow through anyway. He thought that the Daemon Targaryen character had potential and that he could do it justice. Matt’s stellar performance over the past two episodes proves that he was the perfect actor for a complex character like Daemon.

The challenges faced by Matt weren’t just limited to fan backlash, though. He suffered a neck injury on set and needs to get into physiotherapy. Unlike Viserys, who might meet an untimely end soon, Daemon will almost certainly linger for a while longer, making Matt’s well-being on set all the more important.

Also read: 10.2 million people watched House of the Dragon episode 2 — Higher than the premiere