House of the Dragon season 2: Matt Smith calls Daemon Targaryen an "agent of chaos"

The second season of House of the Dragon is on the way, and HBO is blasting us with fun behind-the-scenes videos where the cast members crack wise, act a fool and answer philosophical questions. In the case of the latest video below, they are posed this question: Who gives less fucks: Daemon Targaryen or his nephew Aemond Targaryen?

Daemon and Aemond are two characters very clearly set in opposition to each other. Daemon is like an older version of Aemond, who clearly looks up to his uncle, even if they're on opposite sides of a war. Daemon is mercurial, violent and ambitious, a great warrior and a feared leader of men. Aemond wants to be all of those things, although it's hard because he's also a bit of a self-serious incel who doesn't have as much control over his dragon or his life as he'd like to think.

So I suppose I think that Daemon gives fewer fucks. Aemond wishes he gave as few fucks as Daemon. But what do the cast members say?

• Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen): "Daemon. Aemond tries to give less fucks."
• Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen): "I think Daemon gives less fucks than Aemond. Aemond really cares underneath all that patch and bravado."
• Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon): "[Daemon] loved his brother, and so he wanted to please him. Who does Aemond want to please? What's hurting Aemond? I don't know that whatever it is can be fixed. I think Aemond gives less of a fuck."
• Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower): "Daemon is older and the adolescent impulses are a little bit more at bay, whereas Aemond is just...id."
• Tom Glynn-Carney (King Aegon II Targaryen): "I think at the moment Aemond, because the the guy's gone off the rails."
• Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen): "Daemon is a kind of agent of chaos. The only true loyalty he's got is to his dragon."
• Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen): "They're both incredibly volatile. They're both erratic. They both sort of vibrate with this violent potential."

Myself, Antonia and Campbell are on the same page here.

Aemond, naturally, is eager to face off with Daemon; we can hear that in the trailers for season 2, where he says, "My uncle is a challenge I welcome, if he dares face me." He clearly measures himself in relation to his uncle, and the both of them have become favorites among the fan base. Don't underestimate the power of a homicidal, dragon-riding maniac to compel audiences everywhere.

Will Aemond and Daemon get a chance to fight? We'll see when the second season of House of the Dragon starts airing on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16.

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