House of the Dragon star Emma D'Arcy recently stopped by the Happy Sad Confused podcast to talk about their career, playing Rhaenyra Targaryen and their relationship with some of their famous costars. Although D'Arcy has arguably been the biggest breakout star of the Game of Thrones prequel series — they just secured their second Golden Globe nomination for playing the role — but the most famous cast member coming into the show was undoubtably Matt Smith, who plays Rhaenyra's husband Daemon.
Before coming into House of the Dragon, Smith was already known for playing Prince Philip on the early seasons of The Crown, and before that the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, a role that immediately shoots anyone who plays it to stardom. He's even starred opposite folks like Jared Leto in movies like Morbius, although he and everyone else in that movie might prefer we forget that.
With all this in mind, D'Arcy was asked a question: is Matt Smith more of an actor or a movie star? D'Arcy had to think about it before answering, but the final answer was clear: “He's an actor…That’s the highest praise.”
It's clear that D'Arcy enjoys working with Smith. "I love that man," they said. "It was such a joy for me to learn what kind of excites him and what sort of lights up his appetite and his imagination. He loves something new. Like, just say anything on a take that's new and he And when there's some danger in it. We both maybe have a have an appetite for something dangerous, and it's like very exciting.”
We have indeed heard stories about Smith doing a little improvising on set, so D'Arcy's assessment about him loving to do something new checks out. Whenever Smith is onscreen, you know that anything is possible and that's exciting.
Of course, that doesn't mean Smith isn't immune to the unique annoyances that come along with being on a show like House of the Dragon, such as wearing those long white-blonde wigs. "It didn't take that long , I would say," D'Arcy said. "But look, the man puts up with a lot. I understand his sword is very heavy."
D'Arcy also talked about Smith being proactive when it comes to making sure he leaves his mark on the role, which can be tricky on a show as massive and complex as House of the Dragon. "I really think that he is able to create space for himself where there isn't any. You know, sometimes shooting especially on something as big as that show with so many technical elements, so many hours…sometimes that can be quite quite rigid, it could be quite a rigid process," D'Arcy explained. "But he understands how important play is to our work, and I have learned from him to fight for that space, or just to take it, I suppose."
Hearing that, I wonder if D'Arcy took a cue or two from Matt Smith when making their own requests for Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season 3, which should be coming to HBO and Max sometime in 2026:
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