Latest from CinemaBlend in Matt-smith

I Think Doctor Who's Reboot Needs To Look To One Thing Diehard Fans Hated (But Worked)

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Doctor Who was removed from the 2026 TV schedule, and the BBC is actively taking pitches for how to retool the beloved sci-fi franchise. Russell T. Davies is officially out, and while he made noble efforts to put the franchise back out in front of a mainstream audience, he fell short. Now, as conversations happen about how the franchise needs to change, I think diehard fans need to acknowledge how successful a controversial set of storylines was.

I remember back in the day these were referred to as "The Doctor and his girlfriend" adventures, which is a reference to the period in which it seemed The Doctor was constantly building romantic tension with his companions. As we look back on what worked and what didn't, it's hard for me to deny that the more Doctor Who got away from Matt Smith's era of The Doctor having romantic tension with his companions, the less popular it became.

(Image credit: BBC America)

Matt Smith's "The Doctor And His Girlfriend" Era Of Doctor Who Felt Like The Series Biggest Time

Being a Doctor Who fan from 2011 to 2014 was great, because it seemed like the franchise was everywhere. Some would credit then-showrunner Stephen Moffat, others the more youthful Matt Smith, and even more the "shipping" the show created with his various companions.

People loved Amy Pond, as well as Clara Oswald, but what seemed to get more attention was the sexual tension between the characters and Matt Smith's Doctor. Doctor Who certainly pushed the romance narrative, having Pond kiss The Doctor the day before her wedding, and near-constant tension with Clara creating a "will they, won't they" dynamic.

Then, following Matt Smith's exit, Doctor Who reversed course. As CinemaBlend wrote when Peter Capaldi took over, The Doctor began acting more like classic iterations of the character, and the show progressively became less and less about spontaneous romance that grows while adventuring. Doctor Who began to fade from the mainstream, and it's safe to say it never quite reached that fever pitch again.

(Image credit: BBC America)

The Doctor Falling In Love Wasn't New, But There Were A Couple Key Differences

Some might argue that romance has always been a part of Doctor Who, especially in its modern era. After all, Rose Tyler's romance with the Doctor is a celebrated storyline, and Capaldi's Doctor ultimately married his longtime fellow time traveler, River Song. More recently, there was Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor having a brief kiss with Jonathan Groff's "Rogue," which we never got a follow-up on.

Matt Smith Gave The Middle Finger After Being Asked About House Of The Dragon Season 3, And The Video Is Too Funny

Laura Hurley — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 04:23:46 +0000

The long wait for House of the Dragon Season 3 continues as the 2025 TV schedule winds down, and the hiatus isn't anywhere near ending with an expected premiere date in August of the 2026 TV schedule. Filming wrapped in October, and Matt Smith still seems to be able to channel his character without any problems. In true Daemon Targaryen fashion, the actor gave the middle finger when asked to describe the upcoming third season.

Of course, it would be hard to blame the actor if he channeled some real-life frustration into the gesture. With Season 2 ending back in August 2024, he's had to spend a long time keeping a tight lid on spoilers for what's to come. Even readers of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood can't say with certainty what's on the way after all the departures in Season 2. Check out the move that feels exactly like what Daemon would do to the Greens on behalf of the Blacks:

@hitsradiouk
♬ original sound - Hits Radio UK

Take that, Team Green! Honestly, my favorite part of the video might be how quickly he flipped the bird – or flipped the dragon? – in response to the request by Hits Radio that he pull a face that sums up House of the Dragon Season 3. While Daemon and Rhaenyra reconciled at the end of Season 2 after he had a Game of Thrones-esque vision, I think it's a safe bet that he's still the Rogue Prince of the Blacks.

Whether he'll do any worse than Blood and Cheese in Season 3 remains to be seen, but he's sure to be a force to be reckoned with. (You can find the first two seasons streaming with an HBO Max subscription.) Production on Season 3 reportedly wrapped back in October, after Matt Smith teased "a lot of blood and guts" in the "bigger and better" new season over the summer. More recently, he stated on This Morning that he thought Season 3 would be out "in August next year."

Depending on when in August the date will be, Season 3 could well arrive more than two full years after the end of Season 2, with that finale airing on August 4, 2024. (Fans may be in the mood to flip the bird as well at how much longer the hiatus is!)

For fans of the entire world of Westeros, however, HBO has guaranteed at least one release per year through 2028 thanks to the early Season 4 renewal of House of the Dragon. Take a look:

A post shared by gameofthrones (@gameofthrones)
A photo posted by on

The next entry in the world of Game of Thrones will be A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which arrives on January 18 in the new year. The upcoming show is set nearly a century after the events of House of the Dragon, so it should be interesting to see if the new series drops any clues about what will happen to Daemon and Co. in Season 3 and beyond.

At least the adventures of Dunk and Egg will be a taste of the world of Westeros as the wait continues for Daemon, Rhaenyra, Alicent, and the rest to return.

I Can’t Get Enough Of Doctor Who’s Matt Smith Becoming Brainiac In Superman Man Of Tomorrow Fan Art

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:32:20 +0000

James Gunn wasted no time in announcing a sequel to Superman, and I couldn't be happier, given that the superhero film was one of my favorite movies of 2025. My expectations for Superman: Man of Tomorrow are sky-high, especially after seeing fan art imagining Doctor Who veteran Matt Smith as Brainiac. Now I'm really hoping we get him as the villain in this movie, because I can't get enough of this.

While we don't even know with certainty that Brainiac is the big bad of Superman: Man of Tomorrow, I'm already convinced we need Matt Smith to play the villain. That's after seeing this fan art from @horrific.heroics, which can be found below:

A post shared by Aaron (@horrific.heroics)
A photo posted by on

I'll admit, it's wild to visualize him as bald after seeing his characters in Caught Stealing and House of the Dragon, but I really like it. I'd also say that while Smith has an unmistakable face that not even green paint and prosthetics can hide, the fact that Brainiac has had so many different looks across his various shows and comic book appearances makes it so that almost any actor could play the role if we're talking about looks alone.

How To Watch The Death Of Bunny Munro Online And Stream The Black Comedy Starring Matt Smith From Anywhere

Daniel Pateman — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:00:00 +0000

How To Watch The Death of Bunny Munro Online

Release Date: Thursday, November 20 (all episodes)

Streaming Options: Sky / NOW (UK) | Binge (AU)

Watch anywhere: Stream from anywhere with NordVPN

Watch The Death of Bunny Munro: Preview

He’s played a psychotic yuppie, a hot-headed Targaryen prince, and a Time Lord with anger issues. But BAFTA-winner Matt Smith may have taken on his most unhinged role yet in the darkly comic The Death of Bunny Munro. Adapted from Nick Cave’s sophomore novel, he stars as the titular lothario, a sex-addict whose nine-year-old son is foisted on him when his mother dies. Promising both gasps and laughs, we explain below how to watch The Death of Bunny Munro and binge all six episodes from anywhere when it debuts.

Exec produced by Cave, and featuring an original score from the Bad Seeds frontman in collaboration with Warren Ellis, The Death of Bunny Munro is an outrageous, tender, and occasionally squirm-inducing exploration of generational trauma and troubled father-son relationships. Fear and Loathing in Sussex, perhaps? Smith describes Bunny as utterly charming, yet “chaotic and mad and selfish and bonkers”. And he only spirals after the mother of his son (Sarah Greene) tragically dies.

That leaves him the sole caregiver to Bunny Junior (Rafael Mathé in his TV debut), his doting ride-or-die as they embark on a wild road trip around the Sussex coast, and attempting to cope with their loss: Bunny compulsively bedding women while selling cosmetics door-to-door, while his grieving son converses with his mother’s ghost. It’s not long before social care are involved, concerned about the effect that Bunny Munro's nomadic and errant lifestyle is having on the kid – particularly worrying as a serial killer lopes their way across Brighton. Eventually, he's left with an ultimatum: become a better parent, or lose everything…including his grip on reality.

Produced by Clerkenwell Films, who bowled critics over with the acclaimed Baby Reindeer last year, the phantom of toxic masculinity haunts The Death of Bunny Munroe, leaving our troubled anti-hero to reckon with his own demons (real and metaphorical), not least his relationship to his own father, Bunny Senior, and played in a neat bit of casting by Shameless star David Threlfall (a.k.a. Frank Gallagher).

Dark yet tender, and compelling performed, you won’t want to miss this Sky Original drama. You can find out how to watch The Death of Bunny Munro with the following guide, and stream every episode from anywhere in the world with a VPN.

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How to watch The Death of Bunny Munro in the UK

(Image credit: Sky)

Strap in for this bonkers Sky Original series. UK viewers will be able to watch The Death of Bunny Munro and enjoy all six episodes from Thursday, November 20. It’ll be available to stream either on Sky, or through its on-demand service NOW. Plus, it’ll receive a weekly linear release every Thursday evening on Sky Atlantic.

Sky TV packages start from £15 a month. Alternatively, sign up to Sky’s streaming service, NOW. You’ll need the Entertainment pass, which currently provides two options: accept a 12-month minimum term membership at £4.99 a month, or pay £9.99 a month and cancel any time you like.

A UK viewer abroad? If you want to connect to a streaming service like NOW while out of the country, simply download a VPN and get access to the same great content you’d watch back home.

How to watch The Death of Bunny Munro online from anywhere

If you're a UK citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch The Death of Bunny Munro online just as you would at home.

While services like NOW block access from IP addresses outside of the UK, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address to make it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.

For example, UK citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a UK-based server and access their subscription from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.

Watch The Death of Bunny Munro online as if you were at home with a VPN
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How to use a VPN to unblock streaming services:

1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN, costing from $2.29 a month with its 2-year plan

2. Connect to a server – for NOW, for example, you'll want to connect to a server based in the UK.

3. Go to the stream you wish to access - to watch The Death of Bunny Munro, go to NOW or Sky Go.

How to watch The Death of Bunny Munro online in Australia

(Image credit: Binge)

Good news! Aussies can watch The Death of Bunny Munro online, in line with the show’s UK release on Thursday, November 20 and exclusively with a Binge subscription. You can also catch episodes via Foxtel’s linear Showcase channel, every Thursday from 8.30pm AEDT.

Not used Binge before? There’s a 7-day free trial available to members new to the service. When that ends, you’ll pay out as little as AU$10 a month for the platform’s entry-level subscription.

Those traveling outside Australia right now can purchase a VPN to connect to your streaming service of choice and watch your favorite TV shows and movies no matter where you are.

Can I watch The Death of Bunny Munro in the US?

For the time being, the US rights to The Death of Bunny Munro haven’t been acquired Stateside. That means Matt Smith fans outside the UK will have to wait to watch this darkly compelling Sky Original series.

However, if you’re a Brit abroad, simply download a VPN to mask your IP address and connect to your services back home, leaving you free to stream The Death of Bunny Munro without delay.

Can I watch The Death of Bunny Munro in Canada?

As mentioned above, there’s been no confirmation that The Death of Bunny Munro has been picked up for broadcast, or by any streaming services, in North America. But that could change, so check back here in the coming months for the latest information.

A UK resident visiting the Great North? Purchase a VPN like Nord VPN and access your paid streaming services no matter where you’re currently based.

The Death of Bunny Munro, Trailer

The Death of Bunny Munro, cast

Matt Smith as Bunny Munro
Rafael Mathé as Bunny Junior
Sarah Greene as Libby
Johann Myers as Poodle
Robert Glenister as Geoffrey
Alice Feetham as Yvonne
David Threlfall as Bunny Munro Snr
Lindsay Duncan as Doris Pennington
Elizabeth Berrington as Charlotte Parnovar

The Death of Bunny Munro, Episode Release Schedule

All six episodes of limited series will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW from Thursday, November 20:

The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 1: Thursday, November 20
The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 2: Thursday, November 20
The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 3: Thursday, November 20
The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 4: Thursday, November 20
The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 5: Thursday, November 20
The Death of Bunny Munro – Episode 6: Thursday, November 20

Where Did They Film The Death Of Bunny Munro?

The adaptation of Nick Cave’s 2009 novel was filmed primarily in Sussex, along the South Coast of England, including Eastbourne, Shoreham-by-Sea, and Brighton and Hove.

The six-part series was “Filmed across the county,” the Sussex Film Office said. “From the winding streets of Brighton to the cliffs of Peacehaven and the shorelines of Worthing, the series showcases the raw, real and rarely seen side of the South Coast.

I'm Bummed Doctor Who Is On A Break, But There's A New Project Led By Two Fan-Favorite Companions That Will Fill The Void

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:52:49 +0000

Doctor Who is about a year out from the return of the flagship series, and while the conclusion of the Disney+ agreement meant the series can move on, we'll have a chunk of time without seeing The Doctor adventuring. The good news is that, while we wait for the show's return to the 2026 TV schedule, a podcast featuring two beloved actors from the show's past is on the way, which has me thrilled.

In addition to the spinoff, The War Between The Land And The Sea, fans can enjoy a special Doctor Who-themed podcast, hosted by two actors who played companions in some of The BBC series' best episodes. For those who loved Matt Smith's run as The Doctor, you're in for a real treat!

Arthur Darvill And Karen Gillan Are Starting A "Pondcast"

The Ponds are back together as Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan announced to Radio Times that they're starting a Doctor Who podcast. Titled The Pondcast, the project will follow Darvill and Gillan as they revisit their episodes of Doctor Who and interview people who used to work on the show.

While an official release date or list of guests has not been announced yet, Darvill confirmed that they've already interviewed former showrunner Steven Moffat, who was in charge of the show during their tenure.

Unfortunately, those episodes are currently not available to stream in the United States, but perhaps Paramount+ or another service will secure a deal for the show by then. Either way, I can't wait to listen to these two discuss the show that helped make them stars for a very fun reason.

Arthur Darvill Hasn't Seen A Good Number Of The Episodes

The most appealing part of The Pondcast to me is the fact that Arthur Darvill hasn't seen a lot of his Doctor Who episodes. The actor, who joined Legends of Tomorrow after leaving the Who, talked about how much he's seen and what listeners can expect from the podcast:

I've not seen half of it, so we're going to rewatch it and talk about it. We've recorded a few episodes already and it's really fun. It is just me and Karen messing around so I'm not quite sure how many new facts you'll get, but it's really nice to kind of go back and reminisce about it.

It sounds like this is going to be a podcast about good vibes and memories that Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill shared on the set of Doctor Who, which I'm 100% on board for.

I do hope they're eventually able to get Matt Smith on to record an episode with them. It could even be in promotion for House of the Dragon Season 3. He'd have the perfect excuse to kill two birds with one stone, promoting one show while remembering another.

Hopefully, we'll get a bunch of episodes of The Pondcast in 2026, as we won't get a new episode of Doctor Who until Christmas of that year. By then, we should know more about what the future holds for The Doctor, and whether Billie Piper is really playing the Time Lord, or if this is some trick by the TARDIS. At this point, I'm not sure which I prefer; I just want to see some new episodes.

Until then, we have The War Between The Land And The Sea coming in 2026 in the United States, and it will be the final Doctor Who project handled by Disney+. The BBC will start airing the series in the UK in December, so be sure to avoid some spoilers in the meantime, and make sure to go back in time with the Ponds with The Pondcast.

Star Wars: Starfighter Has Been In Production For Months, But Matt Smith Just Dropped A Surprising Admission

Adam Holmes — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 01:50:16 +0000

Matt Smith is no stranger to the realm of science fiction/fantasy thanks to Doctor Who, Terminator Genisys, House of the Dragon and more. Now he’s venturing into a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: Starfighter, set for release in 2027. This space opera has been filming since August, and yet Smith just made a surprising admission on where things stand with him on the upcoming Star Wars movie.

While sitting down with A Rabbit’s Foot, the man who was adventured through time and space as the Eleventh Doctor revealed that unlike lead actor Ryan Gosling and his young co-star Flynn Gray, he hasn’t even been on the Starfighter set yet. Here’s what Smith had to say:

We’re going through the process of trying to find a costume, and sometimes you don’t know if you love a costume until you’ve worn it for a couple of days. I’m about to do Star Wars in December, and we’re sort of trying to develop the look for that.

Not every actor of a large film’s cast is going to start performing right when principal photography begins, but the fact that nearly half a year will have passed by the time Matt Smith shows up on the Star Wars: Starfighter set surprises me. How much more filming will need to be done by December? Does this mean Smith won’t have that much screen time in the movie? It doesn’t sound like he’s just going to cameo in Starfighter, but now I wonder if he’ll only be around for a few scenes.

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Still, the Star Wars: Starfighter team know what they’re doing, so I wish them the best of luck in figuring out what kind of costume Matt Smith will wear once he arrives on set, and that Smith’s time filming goes smoothly. Just like the rest of Starfighter’s cast, we don’t know the specific identity of his character, although it will reportedly be a villain. This entry into the Star Wars universe follows his near brush in the late 2010s when he was cast in an undisclosed role for The Rise of Skywalker, but ultimately didn’t appear.

Smith, Gosling and Gray’s castmates on Star Wars: Starfighter include Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Amy Adams. Gosling’s lead character will protect his young nephew, played by Gray, “against evil pursuers” in this story set half a decade after The Rise of Skywalker. Shawn Levy is directing the feature from a script written by Jonathan Tropper.

Star Wars: Starfighter flies into theaters on May 28, 2027, a year after The Mandalorian & Grogu finally breaks the Star Wars film series dry spell. Matt Smith’s latest movie, August’s Caught Stealing, can be rented or purchased on home media, and he’ll reprise Daemon Targaryen when House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres on a yet-to-be-announced date on HBO.

One Year After House Of The Dragon’s Underwhelming Season 2 Finale, Even Matt Smith Seems Tired Of Waiting For Season 3

Laura Hurley — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The one-year anniversary of House of the Dragon's Season 2 finale came and went in August 2025 without any big news about the upcoming third season, despite production being underway. The show won't arrive on HBO before the end of the 2025 TV schedule, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is likely to premiere next year before Season 3. The long wait means actors haven't been able to say much about what is coming to avoid spoilers, and Matt Smith's response in a recent interview makes me suspect that he's tired of not being able to talk freely about where the show is going next.

Matt Smith recently completed a WIRED Autocomplete Interview, and couldn't say much when he got to the question of what he's working on right now:

Right now, I'm doing a show called House of the Dragon, and I play a guy called Daemon Targaryen, and he's got blond hair.

In fairness, Matt Smith did also recently tease "a lot of blood and a lot of guts" and a scale that feels "a lot bigger" and "more epic" to ET, and he was participating in quite an unconventional interview when he gave his bare bones response about the Game of Thrones spinoff.

Still, saying that 1) he's on House of the Dragon, 2) he plays a guy named Daemon in the Targaryen family tree, and 3) has blond hair has been the same kind of safe answer that Smith could have given ahead of Season 1 and Season 2 as much as Season 3. In fact, given his recent comments about his wigs as Daemon Targaryen, I'm guessing he's pretty tired of those too!

In all seriousness, I mean no offense to Matt Smith when I say that I thought his description of what he's working on is pretty standard. It's a safe bet that the House of the Dragon and HBO teams want to keep as tight a lid on spoilers as possible, and that can mean limits to what actors can talk about.

Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower as one of Daemon's enemies, teased that the season starts off "with a bang," but that was already pretty guaranteed after the last two intended episodes of Season 2 were pushed back to premiere Season 3. She didn't give much away either. Even in my highest of hopes, I wouldn't expect any cast member to drop any juicy third season secrets at this point.

I won't get into spoilers for George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, but the timing at the end of Season 2 definitely pointed toward a major battle happening next. In fact, the delay of this epic naval battle (involving Titanic's production manager) is why I consider the Season 2 finale to be underwhelming.

Hopefully that means a spectacular opening to Season 3! Then again, book readers had certain expectations of how the opening of Season 2 would approach Daemon's "Blood and Cheese" move against the Greens, and George R.R. Martin had some scathing comments about it.

Suffice it to say that I am among fans who are more than ready for some more solid information (or footage) for Season 3, which would perhaps mean that Matt Smith and other actors could safely talk about more than vague teases or standard answers. Until then... well, the Doctor Who vet plays Daemon Targaryen, who has blond hair, and is on House of the Dragon. If you want to revisit the first two seasons, you can find them streaming with an HBO Max subscription now.

Matt Smith Just Explained Where Production On House Of The Dragon Season 3 Is At, And I Couldn't Be More Excited

Corey Chichizola — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:19:01 +0000

There are popular TV shows, and then there's the Game of Thrones universe. Those with an HBO Max subscription returned to Westeros with the prequel House of the Dragon, which is all about The Targaryens and their dragons. Actor Matt Smith plays Daemon, and recently offered a thrilling update about where things stand on the third season.

What we know about House of the Dragon Season 3 is limited, but fans are eager for any information about what's coming next. Over on ET's TikTok, the actor was asked about how things are going on the third batch of episodes. He answered excitedly, offering:

I'm filming that now, I think we've tried to be bigger and better this year. The kind of scale of the show this year does feel a lot bigger and sort of more epic, actually. We're no coming to the last sort of couple of months of filming. We've got a lot of big set pieces to get through. There's a lot of blood and a lot of guts, so I'll say that.

Do you hear that sound? It's Game of Thrones fans everywhere cheering. Because while the first two seasons were pretty epic in scale, it sounds like HOTD Season 3 is going to be even bigger and bloodier. And I'm scared for the entire Targaryen family.

There are a few reasons why House of the Dragon Season 3 may be even "bigger and better". For one, the show is presumably free of COVID protocols that had be followed when filming Season 2. And with all-out war about to begin in Westeros, we'll presumably be seeing epic battles.

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The House of the Dragon Season 2 finale saw the Greens and Blacks preparing for all-out war, assembling troops and dragons ahead of battling over Westeros. I haven't read George R.R. Martin's novel, so the book-to-screen adaptation will be able to shock me with its deaths. I know I was shook when my favorite character got killed off in Season 2. Seriously, I'm not over Rhaenys' death.

(Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)

It should be interesting to see what comes next for Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen in Season 3 of HOTD. He spent much of Season 2 going mad in Harrenhal, and debating how he was going to ultimately betray Rhaenyra. But he has once again committed himself to his wife as Queen, and they should presumably be a more united front in the next batch of episodes.

While the finale of Game of Thrones remains controversial, House of the Dragon is hitting all the nostalgic beats and feels more like classic Thrones. The pressure is on for it to deliver where its predecessor did not, but since the prequel is telling a more contained story, I think that's exactly what'll occur.

House of the Dragon doesn't currently have a release date, but is expected to arrive sometime in 2026. We'll just have to patiently wait for the network to give us some sort of tease of what's to come.

Matt Smith Was So ‘Nervous’ About His Hair In Caught Stealing, Darren Aronofsky Had To Step In

Eric Eisenberg — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:50:49 +0000

Matt Smith sports quite the extreme look in the new dark comedy thriller Caught Stealing. On an opposite end of the spectrum from his besuited performance as The Doctor, his character Russ in the movie is personally doing his part to keep punk alive – regularly appearing in a studded leather jacket and rocking a flame colored mohawk. The latter is definitely the best part of the whole aesthetic, but as we recently learned from the actor, committing to it required a little extra push from director Darren Aronofsky.

As captured in the video above, CinemaBlend's Hannah Saulic sat down with Matt Smith and Regina King during the recent Los Angeles press day for Caught Stealing, and it was during a discussion about the mohawk that Smith admitted having some doubts about cutting his hair. It evidently took a bit of extra convincing from the director of The Whale for him to work up the courage and trim his locks. He explained,

My hair when I did this was quite long, and I was quite nervous about cutting [it] off actually. Darren [Aronofsky] had to really push me forward. I had a wonderful hair designer called Jon Carter, who sort of constructed this piece to go in the middle of my hair, goes round the outside, and it's a sort of amalgamation of two things. Hats off to Jon and his creative energies.

More about that mohawk...

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Matt Smith Was Asked If His Caught Stealing Mohawk Or Daemon Targaryen’s Hair Was Harder To Maintain, And His Answer Surprised Me

If you've seen footage from Caught Stealing, you know that the mohawk is a work of art. The coloration is rad, and it's a perfect choice to automatically tell the audience what the character is all about.

In the film, adapted/based on the novel by Charlie Huston, Matt Smith's Russ is very much the catalyst of the story. He is the neighbor of Austin Butler's Hank Thompson – a former baseball prospect who makes ends meet as a bartender – and when he has to go out of town for a family emergency, he asks Hank to watch after his cat. Our protagonist agrees without totally realizing what he is signing up for, as his simple relationship gets him accidentally caught up in a major conflict in the crime world involving the police (Regina King), a dangerous Brighton Beach club owner (Bad Bunny) Russian mobsters (Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov), and a couple of Hassidic gangers (Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio).

Also starring Zoë Kravitz, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane, Caught Stealing is now just a few days away from arriving in theaters – set to be released this Friday, August 29. This is just the first story from our interviews with Darren Aronofsky and the movie's cast, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our coverage.

Matt Smith Was Asked If His Caught Stealing Mohawk Or Daemon Targaryen’s Hair Was Harder To Maintain, And His Answer Surprised Me

Caroline Young — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 16:31:07 +0000

When you think of iconic Matt Smith looks, the platinum-blonde Targaryen mane on House of the Dragon has to come to mind. The show has gained immense popularity, and the look has become iconic. Now, Smith has a new hair he is debuting for the 2025 movie release, Caught Stealing, and it’s a wild, colorful punk mohawk. Both are bold, scene-stealing hairdos that look like a nightmare to maintain. Smith is now revealing which look he thinks is more difficult to rock, and honestly I’m pretty surprised by his answer.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Smith joined his co-star Regina King to chat about their latest Austin Butler-led Darren Aronofsky movie, which follows a man who volunteers to care for his neighbor Russ's cat. This ends up leading to his involvement in a dangerous criminal conspiracy. Smith’s look for the film is notably striking, and elaborate hair pieces seem to be becoming his thing.

While it wasn’t exactly easy getting his mohawk just right for the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, the Doctor Who star revealed that it was actually easier to maintain than his Daemon Targaryen hair for House of the Dragon. He said:

Don't get me started. Russ' is probably easier, man.

This actually surprises me, considering the mohawk seems like it would be more difficult to pull off successfully. Getting his hair to stand up like that must’ve involved a lot of products. Also the colorful hair dye alone must’ve been a trip. It’s hard to determine how much of it is his actual hair or extensions, but it couldn’t have been the most nourishing thing to do for your hair.

Plus he had to maintain some semblance of a mohawk throughout filming. You can see a photo of the Caught Stealing look below:

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

However, Smith truly seemed to believe that the House of the Dragon hairstyle was more intensive, which makes me wonder how much goes into making that wig work. Of course, it isn’t Smith’s actual hair, as bleaching a mane that color would be illogical, as Emilia Clarke learned when she dyed her hair for Game of Thrones. Even though it’s a wig, Smith has previously said he is in the makeup and hair chair for over an hour and a half before he shoots his scenes as Daemon. A lot of work goes into making a wig look natural and seamless, especially a wig that color. It’s probably a mix of the time commitment and the fact that long hair can be uncomfortable for people not used to having it.

Even though Smith thinks that his HoD hair is ultimately a more difficult feat than his elaborate Caught Stealing mohawk, this doesn’t mean that this most recent hairstyle was a cake-walk by any means. Getting his hair to stand up was one thing, but getting all of that product out was another which made the whole thing even more of a hassle. He said:

Yeah, yeah. But they glue my hair up. They would glue that stuff. It's like if you'd have taken a flame to me, man, I was either taking off or burning up. You know what I'm saying?[...] Even a bloody brillo brush on that.

This, combined with the hair maintenance he took on for the GoT spinoff, truly shows the lengths Smith is willing to go to in order to capture a character’s essence. Hair is a big part of a person, and you can tell a lot about a character based on how they choose to wear their hair, especially if it’s as bold as a colorful mohawk or a long bleach blonde mane. Smith is a rare case where I think he can pull off both, and I can’t wait to see what other hair moments come his way in the future.

You can see Matt Smith rock a mohawk in Caught Stealing, which will be playing in theaters nationwide starting on August 29, 2025. Fans can also see Smith and his flowing white hair as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, which is currently streaming its first two seasons now with an HBO Max subscription.

Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars Movie Just Cast A House Of The Dragon Star, And They Have A Great Tie To Starfighter's Lead Actor

Mike Reyes — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 22:27:56 +0000

For fans of that galaxy far, far away, it’s never too early to get excited about a an upcoming Star Wars movie. We’re definitely seeing that with director Shawn Levy’s developing entry into the canon, the Ryan Gosling-fronted Star Wars: Starfighter, as it’s not set to debut until May 2027. Blame it on the charismatic lead jumping into an X-Wing and blow stuff up, as he’s got quite the following. And just when you thought the hype couldn’t get any hotter, leave it to a House of the Dragon star and sci-fi alum to be tapped to play the role of this film’s main villain.

That’s right, folks, get ready for Matt Smith to finally be a part of the Star Wars galaxy, per reporting out of Deadline. Apparently the Deadpool & Wolverine helmer has been seeing candidates for some time now, with the exact role being kept under wraps. However, the grapevine has suggested that executives have selected Smith to become “the next great villain in the Star Wars universe.”

(Image credit: Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO )

What makes this even more interesting is the fact that Ryan Gosling has worked with the Caught Stealing star before. In fact, Project Hail Mary’s lead actually cast him in his (so far) only writing/directoring effort - 2014’s Lost River. So on top of being fantastic casting, this is a reunion that could yield some pretty spectacular on-screen conflicts.

Of course, right about now is the time when Matt Smith fans like myself remember two huge casting decisions that positioned the Doctor Who alum for what seemed like sci-fi greatness - only for fate to break the other way. On one hand, I’m flashing back to how Smith’s Terminator: Genisys casting as the physical embodiment of Skynet. That was the test case that inspired me to label such examples as “important later on in the trilogy,” as those other movies were never made.

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One-upping even that scenario was the time that he was almost cast in another sci-fi saga, perhaps you’ve heard of it… Star Wars? Matt Smith confirmed he was indeed cast in what eventually became The Rise of Skywalker, in a role people are still debating over to this day.

And by “debating,” I mean a lot of folks are convinced he was going to be a Palpatine clone, which became “obsolete” when Ian McDiarmid’s big bad Emperor returned in J.J. Abrams’ Sequel Trilogy capper. Though considering Star Wars: Starfighter is set five years after that picture' s events, perhaps that concept hasn't totally been ditched after all.

Regardless of what the past may have held, the future's looking pretty bright for Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith and Mia Goth's similarly villainous role - as all are looking to make up the marquee core of this Star Wars entry. Prepare to wait for the jump to hyperspace, as Star Wars: Starfighter is set to enter theaters in our galaxy, on May 28, 2027. Meanwhile, Mr. Smith will be appearing in Caught Stealing, which opens in theaters on August 29th.

No Actor Has Been Named As Voldemort In The Harry Potter TV Series Yet, But Fans Have Some Wild Ideas

Philip Sledge — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Since it was first announced back in 2023, the upcoming Harry Potter TV show has been one of the most anticipated series for wizards, witches, and muggles alike. This is especially true in recent weeks, as all those casting announcements, the various first-look images, and other details about the forthcoming book-to-screen adaptation that’ll one day be available for anyone with an HBO Max subscription.

Though Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, and even “The Boy Who Lived” have all been revealed, there is still one major character from J.K. Rowling’s beloved series of fantasy novels that has not yet been announced: Lord Voldemort, a.k.a. “He Who Must Not Be Named.” The identity of the actor who’ll be the main antagonist from the books and Harry Potter film franchise remains one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the HBO series, but that hasn’t stopped fans from coming up with some wild ideas for the casting.

Here are a few of the names I’ve seen come up the most…

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

HBO Has Reportedly Cast 'He Who Must Not Be Named' But Won't Announce The Actor Before The Premiere

Before we get into all the actors fans want to see play Voldemort in the Harry Potter TV show, there’s something we should probably go over first. In July 2025, online fantasy blog Redanian Intelligence (via Comic Book Resource), in a post that's since been removed, claimed that HBO and Warner Bros. have reportedly already cast the lead villain for the upcoming series, but that the powers that be aren’t going to be revealing the actor’s name anytime soon. It sounds like they want to keep it a secret until the show premieres at some point in 2027 in order to prevent any early leaks from ruining the surprise.

This information is not confirmed, and should be taken with a grain of salt, as it could all be a big nothing-burger, both in terms of the role already being cast and HBO’s insistence on keeping it a secret. Regardless, it sounds like it will be a while before we learn who will be succeeding Ralph Fiennes by playing “He Who Must Not Be Named.”

With that out of the way…

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Some Fans Think Cillian Murphy Should Play The Role

When it comes to who people on social media think would be a great choice to take over the role of Lord Voldemort, Cillian Murphy is one of the names that comes up the most. The Academy Award-winning actor, who has appeared in everything from the global phenomenon that was Oppenheimer to 28 Days Later (he’s also slated to return to the franchise soon), is no stranger when it comes to playing charismatic villains. Over the years, he’s brought to life those like Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow, in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Jackson Rippner in Wes Craven’s frighteningly intense Red Eye.

In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, people were quick to respond that they would love to see Murphy play the evil wizard, with multiple commenters saying he’d be perfect for the role. They're not alone, as Ralph Fiennes himself explained on Watch What Happens Live in late 2024 that he “would be all in favor of Cillian” taking over the role.

(Image credit: Neon)

Others Hope For Tom Hiddleston

Though Murphy is the actor who comes up the most whenever the question about Voldemort comes up on social media, he’s not alone. Another name that seems to come up a lot is Tom Hiddleston, who would honestly do a fantastic job of portraying him. Over on Reddit, someone even went as far as to create concept art showing the Loki actor portraying “He Who Must Not Be Named,” which is honestly quite terrifying.

There’s another Reddit post where some fans thought it would be cool to see Hiddleston take on the part, but they’re having a hard time imagining how it would look to see his face on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head in the season adapting Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. However, visual effects technology has vastly improved since the movie came out nearly 25 years ago.

(Image credit: Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO )

Matt Smith Is Another Name People Keep Bringing Up

Similar to how there are James Bond betting odds when it comes to who’ll play 007 in the future, sites like Gambling.com have all kinds of odds for who’ll be taking on the role of Lord Voldemort. Just behind Murphy and Hiddleston is Matt Smith, who is no stranger to fantasy series or HBO productions, having appeared in House of the Dragon. In July 2025, the Doctor Who and The Crown actor had 5/2 odds, beating out the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and fellow Time Lord, David Tennant.

While Smith’s look in HOTD makes the Daemon Targaryen actor look more like a better fit to play Lucius Malfoy, the infamous Death Eater is already being portrayed by Johnny Flynn of Emma. and The Outfit fame.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

But One Of The Wildest Theories Is That Voldemort Will Be A Woman This Time

One of the wildest casting theories going around the internet is one that sees Voldemort being portrayed by a woman this time around. A user on X posted in July 2025 that they think the show’s producers have changed the gender of the evil wizard, which would certainly shake things up.

While that would make the show even more interesting, it doesn’t seem likely, as the series is being teased as a more faithful adaptation of the novels. Whether or not that means keeping genders the same this time around is anyone’s guess.

(Image credit: Photograph by Courtesy of Aidan Monaghan/HBO)

Regardless, The Harry Potter TV Show Casting Has Been Superb So Far, And There's Reason To Believe It'll Be The Same For Voldemort

Regardless of the Lord Voldemort casting, it sounds like the new Harry Potter TV series is going to be one of the biggest shows in recent history, and perhaps of all time. With an amazing cast of talented actors and newcomers alike, it’s hard to imagine the powers that be not going all out and doing something magical when it comes to the big bad of the series.

With a massive scale that’s reportedly comparable to Game of Thrones, a season per book for exploring the ins and outs of the beloved fantasy novels, and so much anticipation leading up to its release, it sounds like we’re in for one wild ride come 2027.

Expect to hear much more about the Harry Potter TV show, both in terms of all its casting decisions and ongoing production, in the weeks and months to come.

The House Of The Dragon Cast Doesn't Know Jack About Season 3 Yet, But Emma D'Arcy Has A Great Idea For Rhaenyra

Laura Hurley — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 04:58:06 +0000

House of the Dragon wrapped with its strongest Game of Thrones connection yet back in August, with plenty of questions still unanswered. More of the Targaryen family tree's civil war is on the way, and details are few and far between about what comes next. As it turns out, even the cast doesn't know much about House of the Dragon Season 3, but Emma D'Arcy's idea for a change for Rhaenyra is fun to think about while the wait continues and the 2024 TV schedule winds down.

The Stars Don't Know Jack

Otto Hightower is one character whose future is not only unclear, but House of the Dragon never explained what happened to him in the second half of Season 2 after he was fired by Aegon and left King's Landing. Whether or not the hit fantasy show will shed much light on what went down off screen remains to be seen, and actor Rhys Ifans couldn't explain either. Speaking with Inverse, Ifans shared:

I'm an actor, so we'll be the last people to know what's going on in our characters. I haven't been told by anyone with any kind of conviction or authority where exactly he is at that point. All we know is that he’s still alive somewhere in that world, and that's as much as I know too. I know as much as the fans.

Considering that the Greens went even further off the rails after Aegon fired Otto and replaced him with Criston Cole, it should be interesting to see how Otto's loyalties have shifted... or not shifted, since it's hard to imagine him being so alienated from his family that he'd flip to support the Blacks. Alas, fans will have to wait even longer than Ifans to find out.

And even the actors who were in more of Season 2 than Rhys Ifans was don't have answers. During a New York Comic Con panel (via Variety), Tom Glynn-Carney – a.k.a. Aegon – said that he knew "Not a jot, not a letter" about any Season 3 scripts, while Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen) weighed in:

I’ve not heard hide nor hair. I don’t know about you guys. I’ve not heard a thing.

Considering that Daemon's hallucinatory arc was one of the biggest departures from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood source material in Season 2, even reading the book might not give him much insight on the next steps for his character! Fabien Frankel, who plays Ser Criston Cole, dropped more of a tease than his co-stars could:

I’ve heard some things that I couldn’t possibly share here.

House of the Dragon's Criston Cole was another character notably different from his book counterpart, far beyond how Season 1 changed one of Cole's kills from the source material. His arc wasn't what George R.R. Martin's called out in his grievances against Season 2, though, and Frankel didn't spoil the "things" he's heard about Season 3.

Emma D'Arcy's Fun Idea

Whether or not Emma D'Arcy knows any more than their co-stars about what the House of the Dragon team has planned for Season 3, the star has a fun idea that would be a shift from what Rhaenyra did for the war effort in Season 2. Speaking with The Guardian, D'Arcy shared what they enjoy about the show and what they'd like to see change:

A privilege of my job is to work with extraordinary actors, and that’s where I derive a huge amount of energy and pleasure. I enjoy the familial confines of House of the Dragon, but all that said I’m desperate to beef up my Spotlight skill section and I do want a sword next season. I want a reason to see the stunt team. Both things are true.

While Rhaenyra hasn't stayed entirely out of the fray with the war effort, her contributions have been on dragonback. As she was reminded, the Blacks' claim rested entirely on her, so it would have been unwise for her to risk her life by flying off into battle on a regular basis. Could Season 3 find a reason for Rhaenyra to take up a sword?

Unfortunately, while Emma D'Arcy is bound to find out sooner than most, fans will remains in the dark for the foreseeable future. It's unlikely that House of the Dragon could return any sooner than 2026. For now, you can always revisit the first two seasons streaming with a Max subscription, as well as all eight seasons of Game of Thrones.

If You Thought Matt Smith’s Hair In House Of The Dragon Was Wild, You Should See His Mohawk For New Movie Caught Stealing

Ryan LaBee — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 15:19:04 +0000

If you watched Season 2 of House of the Dragon when it hit the 2024 TV schedule, you’ve already seen Matt Smith rocking arguably cable's wildest hairdo, and let’s be honest—as everyone's favorite unconventionally handsome crush, he somehow makes the 'do work every time. But his silver-gold flowing locks are just the beginning, so get ready to see the Doctor Who vet step up his hair game with a bright and bold mohawk for his upcoming film Caught Stealing.

Say goodbye to the Targaryen locks of Westeros—Matt Smith has traded them in for a fierce and punk-inspired look, complete with a towering orange and blonde mohawk that just screams follicle rebellion. These first looks at the film, which also stars Austin Butler (so Academy voters, take note), show off this striking new style. Based on the popular novel of the same name, the Caught Stealing film is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated upcoming page-to-screen adaptations, with this head of hair already being a big draw.

(Image credit: Photo by TheStewartofNY/GC Images)

As if the hair wasn't punk enough, the Morbius star was spotted rocking a studded leather jacket paired with zippered tartan trousers, totally nailing the give-zero-fucks aesthetic. While we know he’ll be sharing the screen with Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, and Regina King in this upcoming film, details about his specific role as this edgy punk character are still under wraps.

In another behind-the-scenes snap, the Crown alum is locked in what looks like it could be a fiery confrontation with Austin Butler. The actor is fresh of The Bikers, but is probably best known for winning the Golden Globe and BAFTA for his portrayal of Elvis Presley, and was spotted on set with Smith in far less extreme attire.

The two were seen intensely facing off seemingly across the roof of a car, caught up in what seemed like a seriously charged moment as cameras rolled, with Smith's character appearing to have suffered some kind of cut or scrape above the left eye.

(Image credit: Photo by TheStewartofNY/GC Images)

Caught Stealing is reported to center on Austin Butler as a washed-up former baseball player who finds himself in way over his head, fighting for survival in the gritty criminal underworld of 1990s New York City. Production kicked off in September, and with a star-studded cast, it’s no surprise this movie is already making waves. Allegedly drawing inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s hidden gem After Hours, Darren Aronofsky’s next big thriller is set to hit the 2025 movie schedule, and along with Smith’s fresh cut, it's one to watch out for.

Just a month prior in September, Smith was seen sporting a more toned-down version of his mohawk on set. The dramatic size upgrade we’re seeing now might hint that the movie spans a decent chunk of time. While it doesn't give away too much, it definitely has me hyped to see what the team behind this thriller has cooked up for us, and unlike After Hours, it will likely not span merely one night, unless he's got access to some wild hair-growth tonics.

As we await the film’s release, these early set photos have certainly stoked anticipation, not just for Smith’s performance but also for his bold and eye-catching look that perfectly encapsulates the anarchic world his character inhabits. Buckle up because Caught Stealing is bringing Matt Smith as you’ve never seen him before.

For now, Smith fans can revisit his Targaryen look by revisiting the first two seasons of House of the Dragon, now streaming with a Max subscription.

Matt Smith Has Thoughts On Trigger Warnings, But I Still Think There’s An Obvious Solution To Work Toward

Mack Rawden — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 15:48:31 +0000

Ask five people about trigger warnings, and chances are you’ll get five different opinions. It’s one of those issues in Hollywood that people care about on an emotional level that goes beyond whether a show should have gotten cancelled or what the best streaming service is. Many people feel like, one way or another, trigger warnings have an impact on how art is consumed and whether or not they become the norm truly matters for the future of the industry.

Let the record show House Of The Dragon star Matt Smith, who is no stranger to triggering content, is among those with an opinion. The popular actor, who is best known to others for his time on Doctor Who, sat for an interview with The Times Of London, and he made it clear he feels stories are being policed too much. He wants to bring shock back, and because of it, he’s not in favor of trigger warnings. Here’s a portion of his quote…

Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point? Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings. I used to go to a local video shop and get Slither, Basic Instinct, Disclosure — all these erotic thrillers. I was way too young to be watching them. I watched Friday the 13th when I was nine. Actually, that scarred me. Absolutely ruined me.

To be clear, when we’re talking about trigger warnings, we’re not talking about a movie’s rating or the little explanation for the rating in the upper right hand corner. Most people are perfectly fine w/ knowing subject matter is TV-MA and even if it contains nudity or violence or whatever. Those sort of vague warnings can be easily ignored, and even if someone does stumble into them, they often don’t give a ton away.

Instead, we’re talking about the increasingly more common trigger warnings, which are often a line of text that comes up before a movie or TV show. Most commonly, they tell viewers more specifically about subject matter that could cause a trauma response. For example: one might say “The following episode contains depiction of self-harm” or “... contains a scene featuring a sexual assault.” In more rare cases, they might say something like, “The following includes cultural stereotypes some viewers may find offensive.”

Advocates claim trigger warnings allow viewers to make informed choices on whether they want to watch content that could cause a trauma response. They feel people should know what potential triggers a piece of art has so they can make up their mind about whether they should watch. Critics, like Matt Smith, feel that being shocked or surprised is a part of consuming a TV show or movie. If you know what’s coming and have your guard up, it changes how you experience the moment in question. There are also many who feel, by putting trigger warnings on things, we’re subconsciously pushing filmmakers away from making bold choices or working with subject matter that’s considered taboo.

Personally, I think both camps are right. There are some people who want to be able to avoid certain subjects because they have the potential to put them in a bad mental place they don’t want to be in. That’s a valid point of view, and we should be doing what we can to accommodate those requests. But on the other hand, there are plenty of people who want to just jump into a movie or TV show and not have any idea what’s coming. They’re comfortable taking on the uncertainty and, as an adult, they should be free to be able to consume art without trigger warnings.

That’s why I don’t get why we’re not pursuing the really obvious solution here. TVs have never been more sophisticated and capable than they are right now. I can press a single button on my remote and get subtitles. I can press another and get a full description of the show I’m about to watch. Why can’t we just flash a message on the screen that gives both parties what they want? Maybe it could say “This show contains material some may find triggering. For more details, click (whatever button we want to use).” That would allow people to get the full trigger warning if they want it, and it would allow other people to consume without getting spoiled.

Personally, I like jumping into a movie or TV show knowing as little as possible. After I accidentally saw one movie thinking it was another one, I fell in love with going in completely blind. Sometimes that means I come across something like Midsommar that takes me on a ride I’m not prepared for, but to me, that’s fine and I’ll take that risk. I wasn’t happy about Severance spoiling a key plot point with a trigger warning, and the idea of that sort of thing becoming increasingly common is very frustrating to me.

But at the same time, my heart breaks for people who have gone through something traumatic and want to use entertainment to escape. They need an easy way to be able to see whether material is a good fit for them, and traditional ratings just aren’t descriptive enough. I want people who want trigger warnings to be able to get them - just not at the expense of spoiling everyone else.

That’s why, instead of arguing about whether trigger warnings should exist, we should put our efforts into making it easy for people to either get them or ignore them based on their own preferences. It wouldn’t be hard at all to do that with modern televisions. Let’s make it happen.

'He Looks Like The Antichrist And That's What I Like Most About Him:' Fans Are Sharing Their Unconventional Celebrity Crushes And Why They Can't Get Enough

Riley Utley — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:59:09 +0000

Earlier this summer, the internet was obsessed with actors who they thought looked like “sexy rats,” and for ages, there’s been a lot of chatter about people falling for celebrities who aren't necessarily considered "conventional" crushes. Now, a thread on Reddit has gone viral about the topic of unconventional crushes, and their choices and reasoning for them are A+.

Considering House of the Dragon just wrapped up its second season on the 2024 TV schedule, let’s start this round-up from this Reddit thread with @mismorningstaarr’s pick. They went for Matt Smith, and when we’re thinking about him specifically as Daemon Targaryen, I can see why they wrote this:

matt smith. he looks like the antichrist and that’s what i like the most about him.

Like Matt Smith, Willem Dafoe’s filmography is filled with quirky characters – I’m thinking about Poor Things, The Lighthouse, and even Spider-Man – and bold choices, which is why @AudreySimmons85 wrote:

I feel like Willem Dafoe deserves a mention here. He's got one of those faces that's incredibly distinctive - not your conventional Hollywood leading man look, but the guy's got a magnetic screen presence and an intensity that just works. Plus, his roles in films like 'The Lighthouse' really showcase how he can transform that unique appearance into something spellbinding. He's like a fine wine – just gets more intriguing with age.

I think they’re so right! I adore Willem Dafoe!

The choices continued as @Accomplished_Egg6239’s pick was one of Parks and Recreation’s best guest stars. Best known for her supporting roles and voicing Marcel the Shell, Jenny Slate is a star, and I totally agree with this person:

Jenny Slate. Not ‘conventionally’ unattractive but she doesn't get leading lady ‘hot’ roles. I think she’s fucking adorable though.

There was a lot of passion behind this next pick, which tracks considering he’s a beloved actor who won four Emmys for playing Tyrion Lannister in the Game of Thrones cast and has gone on to prove his range and charisma through quite the catalog of roles. @xiahabi wrote:

PETER FUCKING DINKLAGE. I would let him do ridiculous things to me.

Staying on the Game of Thrones train, @Level_99_Healer gave some love to Brienne of Tarth, writing:

[Gwendoline] Christie is bananas beautiful, especially with that personality. I could watch videos of her and Nikolaj being friends all day.

There was a lot of appreciation for Jack Black after @GGATHELMIL named him. @raccoonlovechild gave their reasoning for this choice in the comments, writing:

I love his complete lack on insecurity. Not narcissism, but just ‘here I am, you can’t hurt my feelings, let’s have fun’. That level of security is so attractive, and he’s hilarious.

From really leaning into the hilarious “Peaches” discourse when the Super Mario Bros. Movie came out, to dancing and singing on the red carpet of the Kung Fu Panda 4 premiere, Black has proven this point in dividends over the last year alone. However, his whole career is a giant highlight reel of this…I mean we all saw The Holiday, it was impossible not to fall for him.

This list was full of incredible comedians, and it showcased that there’s something so attractive about a good sense of humor. @SamsaraBug showed some love for a beloved SNL alum, writing:

I think Rachel Dratch is so fucking hot 🥵

Along the same lines, @Take-to-the-highways posted about their favorite actors (especially those who are naturally funny), noting the lead actor of Better Call Saul is their top choice:

Bob [Odenkirk.] Hes funny and talented as fuck, thats all I need. In the same vein, Nathan Fielder and Norm [Macdonald] could rock my world

Shifting gears, there was also many who posted about crushes they have on actors who have played darker and more sinister roles. For example, @koalasarecute22 chose a legendary actor from the Harry Potter cast as their crush, writing:

Omg yes there’s something so attractive about Alan Rickman as Snape

We’ll end on an incredibly timely pick considering the hit that is Fallout. Many of us fell in love with The Ghoul on the Amazon Prime show, and in return, Walton Goggins found a whole new group of admirers. While I don’t know if @maverick1ba fell in love with the actor because of one of Prime Video’s best shows, I do agree with their sentiment now that I’ve seen the video game adaptation:

I'm a straight dude, but Walton Goggins fits the bill for me

Overall, all these picks are incredible, and in a lot of cases, the reasoning for them is hilarious and relatable.

Attractiveness is more than just looks, and don’t get me wrong, all these people are good-looking, but there’s so much more to them! While they may be considered unconventional choices at first, all these people deserve all the love in the world.

Fans Are Still Reeling From Daemon's House Of The Dragon Sex Scene, But Did The Show Go Too Far?

Riley Utley — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:11:14 +0000

When you watch Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, intense violence, sex, nudity and incest are expected. This is especially true in Season 2 of HOTD, seeing as the Targaryen family tree is growing because characters who are brother and sister, cousins/step-siblings, niece and uncle, and so on are married and some have children. However, fans drew a line when it comes to incest when Episode 5 showed Daemon having a hallucination where he was having sex with his mother.

Alyssa Targaryen, Daemon and Viserys’ late mother, appeared in one of the prince’s Harrenhal hallucinations. She noted that he was her “favorite son” as they were having sex, and that made a lot of viewers very uncomfortable, myself included. For example, @LordSnow posted:

Wtf Daemon and his mom!!! This Harrenhal arc must end! #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/xvvlyAt0x0July 15, 2024

While we’ve seen our fair share of brothels, orgies, nudity and sex in HOTD, and just one episode earlier we witnessed intense violence and major tragic deaths on the Game of Thrones prequel, there has to be a point where things go too far. This scene between Daemon and his mom seemed to be that for many fans, and it had folks like @cosmicaraline posting things like:

noooo daemon and his mom????? #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/xqEXdbKprWJuly 15, 2024

Viewers were already not thrilled with Daemon’s little haunted sidequest in Harrenhal, and adding this vision made things worse for some, as @ainsleyhcyes posted:

daemon hallucinating his mom in that context while everyone else is eating duck. you never truly know what’s on a person’s mind pic.twitter.com/sy8jJRxBMKJuly 15, 2024

It’s worth noting that George R.R. Martin wrote that incest in the Game of Thrones universe is widely OK because of the Doctrine of Exceptionalism. This makes it socially acceptable for people to marry within their families. As young Alicent said, and @ama_4820 pointed out:

Me after watching that Daemon scene 👀 #HouseOfTheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/MNoycFin43July 15, 2024

However, when it comes to mother/son relationships that’s typically not allowed. So, I think it’s fair to say that Daemon’s scene went too far, as @dancezwitwolves noted:

I think they finally went too far 😭

If there’s any sort of consolidation here, it’s that Matt Smith’s character was also seemingly thrown off by his hallucination and deeply uncomfortable. However, that’s just speculation and interpretation, he hasn’t explicitly expressed his feelings. However, I hope he was as shook as viewers were by that scene, it’d make me (and many fans) feel better.

Overall, this scene left a lot of people unsettled, and understandably so. Did it go too far? Yeah, probably. However, that also seems to be the point based on Daemon’s own reaction to realizing what was going on.

As the show continues to drop episodes at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays on the 2024 TV schedule, I’m curious to see if this sequence is addressed again, or if they’ll just push it to the side. I’m not sure which is the best option. While I’d rather not think about a mother and son having a romantic relationship, I also would like some reasoning for why this happened to Daemon and how he felt about it.

We’ll find out which road they take when House of the Dragon returns this Sunday, and you can watch it on HBO or with a Max subscription.

‘He Is An Island On His Own:’ Matt Smith Talks About Daemon’s Choices In Season 2 Of House Of The Dragon, And The New Fracture Between The Prince And Rhaenyra

Alexandra Ramos — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:19:07 +0000

Spoilers for the first three episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 ahead! If you're not caught up, you can watch with a Max subscription, and make sure to catch new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 TV schedule.

We may all love Daemon Targaryen from House of the Dragon, but it's clear that the tone of this war within Team Black is starting to shift – including the partnership between Rhaenyra and Daemon. The actor behind Daemon, Matt Smith, made some comments about the future of Daemon and how his mind might be his worst enemy right now.

When it comes to House of the Dragon, there are plenty of things that you have to keep track of. It could be who rides which dragon, or perhaps just the Targaryen family tree in general, but the two consistent things have been Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen.

The two of them married in Season 1 of House of the Dragon. Plenty has happened between them, including the gruesome House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere, where Daemon hires two assassins to take out Aemond Targaryen, but they kill the king's son instead when they can't find Aemond.

This moment leads to a heated fight between Rhaenyra and Daemon, where she reveals she no longer trusts him. There's a lot going on for the Rogue Prince, and when I had the chance to speak to Matt Smith about Daemon, he believes that this fight between him and Rhaenyra has left him on "an island on his own," saying it's a complex situation he has gotten himself into:

It's very complicated for them, because I think Rhaenyra feels a great sense of betrayal, a sense of injustice that is being directed at her, and ultimately, it's at the hands of Daemon with his sort of impetuous behavior. And I think it is coupled with the grief of his brother dying. I think perhaps the fracture of that relationship with Rhaenyra means that he literally is a sort of island on his own in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to go and no one to talk to.

Within the book Fire and Blood, Daemon plays a substantial part in this war, but the moment he makes Blood and Cheese happen, that's when things really begin to take a turn for the royal. Now, as Smith comments, he's left to his thoughts – and they're not necessarily pretty:

He's let his own devices and his own thoughts get the better of him, and he becomes submerged in his own deep, dark psychology.

As we saw in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3, Daemon arrives at the spooky Harrenhal to recruit allies. While he's there, he begins to have visions, signaling an internal conflict in his mind and having his death foreshadowed. That's pretty much as deep as you can get into "dark psychology" and shows just how much we're going to experience as this season progresses.

A lot is going on in House of the Dragon Season 2, from Alicent and Ser Criston Cole's relationship shift to the ever-evolving landscape of this war. But I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Daemon as it progresses – and how dark his psychology truly gets.

Following House Of The Dragon Season 3 Renewal, Matt Smith's Comments Have Me Worried An Epic Fire And Blood Moment Is Coming Sooner Than Expected

Laura Hurley — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 16:10:56 +0000

House of the Dragon Season 2 is set to ignite on June 16 in the 2024 TV schedule, and HBO has already guaranteed that fans can rest easy about the future of the show... even if it's much too early to rest easy about the state of the Targaryen family tree. The premium cable network renewed the first Game of Thrones spinoff days before Season 2 premieres. With the hours counting down until the return, some comments from Matt Smith have me thinking beyond the premiere for when arguably Fire & Blood's most iconic sequence will happen.

And don't worry – we won't get into spoilers for George R.R. Martin's fictional Targaryen history book until a later section here, and I'll note in BIG BOLD LETTERS before we do. Let's start with what the HOTD star said!

(Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)

What Matt Smith Said That Got Me Thinking

Matt Smith of course plays Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince whose status as a wild card and fierce supporter of his wife/niece/queen Rhaenyra was part of the Greens' justification for Aegon usurping her in Season 1. The actor made a strong (and fun) argument for the Blacks ahead of Season 2, and then said this in an interview with The Guardian about Daemon's sword:

I nicked it last day on set. I’ve got that, but none of the armour – because it is really expensive. I’d have a red dot on my head if I’d left the studio with that. The snipers would have shot me.

It's hard to blame Matt Smith for seizing the opportunity to take Daemon's sword before leaving set. Even by House of the Dragon standards, Daemon has a remarkable weapon: he wields Dark Sister, one of the two Valyrian steel swords of House Targaryen. Unlike his nephew Aegon, who carries Blackfyre, he actually had his sword bestowed upon him by a king instead of handed over after a king's death. (According to Fire & Blood, Daemon's sword was given to him by King Jaehaerys.) But if Smith has Dark Sister now, what about Season 3? The actor said this about returning:

We go again... When I’m sitting on a dragon – which I’m ashamed to admit is not a real dragon – and there are wind and rain machines blowing at me for hours, you’ve got to think there are people doing jobs that are way fucking harder.

All in all, that's a lot to be optimistic about, right? Maybe not for Matt Smith as he faces filming dragon scenes in simulated rough weather, but those are some fun comments for fans looking ahead not only to Season 2, but Season 3. So, why do his comments make me a little nervous about a positively epic moment from George R.R. Martin's history book?

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR FIRE & BLOOD. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE FATES OF SEVERAL CHARACTERS, TURN BACK NOW.

(Image credit: Theo Whitman/HBO)

The Iconic Fire & Blood Moment

Even show-only fans of House of the Dragon could guess by the end of Season 1 that all hell is about to be unleashed due to Aemond killing Lucerys. Deliberate or not, Luke's death is first blood in what is set to become a Targaryen civil war, and neither the Blacks nor the Greens are going to come out looking great. (With Blood and Cheese presumably happening early in Season 2, I can imagine some Team Black fans turning cloak over to Team Green.) It's going to get very, very, very ugly with a lot of death.

But all of the death and destruction are going to lead to a scene that I've been wanting to see on screen ever since I first read Fire & Blood back in 2018. That would be the – LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK FROM SPOILERS – final showdown between Daemon and Aemond. Not only is there some great dialogue between the uncle and nephew in George R.R. Martin's source material, but their battle on the backs of their dragons happens above the God's Eye lake with a setting sun, and...

Well, I feel like you should read at least the "Dying of the Dragons" chapter of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood for the full impact of what happens, but how the two meet their ends is bound to be incredibly cool, whether you're Team Black or Team Green. (Admittedly, maybe a bit cooler for those of us on Team Black.) Even the description is fairly cinematic, and this is one plot point that I truly hope isn't changed too much from the book, unlike the change from Season 1 that still annoys me almost two years later.

But I don't need to see it anytime soon, and Matt Smith's comments made me think back to past bits of House of the Dragon news.

(Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)

When Will The Daemon Vs. Aemond Battle Happen?

While I would say that Daemon and Caraxes killing Aemond and Vhagar before also perishing is arguably the climax of the Dance of the Dragons in Fire & Blood, there are still some huge events before the Dance actually ends that I don't think can be cut. Namely, the Storming of the Dragonpit and Prince Joffrey's death. This isn't a situation like Game of Thrones needing to end just because Dany died. Daemon vs. Aemond will presumably happen when there's still plenty of story left to be told.

Now, Matt Smith saying that he was able to nick Dark Sister from the set of Season 2 of course doesn't mean that the iconic fight above Harrenhal is going to happen before the end of the second season, but it reminded me of Daemon's death enough that I flashed back to the news that was reported back when it broke that Season 2 would be shorter than Season 1.

At the time in 2023, Deadline reported that while House of the Dragon's creative team had envisioned three or four seasons for the Dance, the plan as of the shortening of Season 2 was for four seasons. The previous year, George R.R. Martin had written on his blog that it is "going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish."

And Matt Smith's comments inspiring me to rethink Fire & Blood's chronology and revisit those reports from 2022 and 2023 lead me to wonder if Daemon vs. Aemond could actually happen at the end of Season 3 instead of Season 4. That would mean a final season without Daemon and Aemond, which would be a shame, but could also do justice to the rest of the Dance and perhaps explore the aftermath a bit without rushing through the remaining relevant parts of Fire & Blood to the end.

On the whole, I'm somewhat worried that House of the Dragon could deliver the epic final showdown between uncle and nephew too early, and leave too much story left to tell without the Dance's two biggest wildcards causing chaos in what's left of Westeros. At the same time, the Dance is really Rhaenyra's story more than either of those two, and I hope HOTD gives her swan song the attention and time that it deserves. So, at the end of all this speculation, my hope is for Daemon vs. Aemond no earlier than the Season 3 finale, but no later than very early Season 4.

On the whole, I do think it's very unlikely that we should be concerned about this happening in Season 2. After all, Nettles is key to Daemon deciding that he's lived too long and ready for his last stand, and Nettles wasn't on the list of new Fire & Blood characters arriving in Season 2. For now, fans can look forward to the Season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon on Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, or stream the episode with a Max subscription after it airs live.

House Of The Dragon Already Landed An Early Renewal, And I Have One Major Hope For Season 3

Riley Utley — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:26:18 +0000

Season 2 of House of the Dragon hasn't even started airing on the 2024 TV schedule, and the Game of Thrones prequel has already been picked up for Season 3. That's right, we'll be spending another season with the Targaryens which means more drama and more dragons. However, there's one other thing I want more of in the upcoming episodes based on what we know about the sophomore season that's set to premiere on Sunday.

House Of The Dragon Has Already Been Renewed For Season 3

HBO announced that House of the Dragon was renewed for Season 3, noting that the news comes three days before the June 16 premiere of Season 2.

The series follows George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which chronicles the story of the Targaryen family, their reign over Westeros and the civil war that happened 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It’s a complex and sweeping tale, and considering the success of the first season and the acclaim the second has already received, it’s not surprising that it was quickly renewed.

Francesca Orsi, the executive vice president of HBO Programming and the head of HBO’s Drama Series and Films explained the excitement the network has for the series and what’s to come, saying:

George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.

So, going into Season 2, and now Season 3, we know the Targaryens are headed toward civil war and that the Greens and the Blacks will be ruthless in their pursuit of the Iron Throne. We also know that a lot of the HOTD cast will be scattered around Westeros as this sweeping and massive story is told. That's where my hope comes in.

My Hope For House Of The Dragon Season 3

Let it be known that I'm not familiar with the books, so I have no idea what's coming. With that in mind, I really want Season 3 of House of the Dragon to bring these characters together again.

At the end of Season 1, we saw the Greens and the Blacks divided literally and figuratively, with Alicent and her family in Kings Landing and Rhaenyra, Daemon and co. at Dragonstone. Now, we also know that Daemon will be “setting off on his own, to settle scores and rally troops for the war to come,” as Variety put it. So, that means all of our leads will be in different places, and while that’s exciting, I can’t help but hope that Season 3 will bring them back together.

During press for Season 2, Emma D’Arcy said it got lonely shooting the latest batch of episodes, because the characters are not all together. As they said, it is fun to see all these people go on their own journeys that serve a bigger story – which was also how Game of Thrones worked. However, we were spoiled in Season 1 by getting to see them all together, and the cast is such a solid ensemble, that I’m really hoping that happens more often come Season 3.

Again, as someone who only knows what’s coming based on House of the Dragon’s Season 2 trailers, I have absolutely no idea what will happen in Season 3. However, I have dreams, and now that we know we’ll be seeing the Targaryens again, I can’t help but fantasize about the junior season.

To see House of the Dragon’s sophomore season, you can watch new episodes every Sunday starting Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO or with a Max subscription. Meanwhile, as more updates about Season 3 come out, make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend, because we’ll be talking about it all.

After Matt Smith Went Viral For Politely Correcting Emma D'Arcy's Pronouns In An Interview, The Reporter Has Apologized

Dirk Libbey — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 16:47:26 +0000

House of the Dragon Season 2 is almost here, a fact that is pretty hard not to be aware of even if you don’t watch it, considering just how much press all the stars are doing. There have been countless interviews and discussions about the new season, but one, in particular, is going viral after Matt Smith seemed to make a point of correcting an interviewer who used the wrong pronouns when referring to his co-star Emma D’Arcy.

There’s been something of a minor firestorm surrounding the events after Sue Perkins mistakenly used “she” when referring to Emma D’Arcy, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, when chatting with Smith about the show, and Perkins herself has now responded to her slip.

How Matt Smith Corrected An Interviewer

Emma D'Arcy only appeared in part of House of the Dragon Season 1 but they're a more consistent part of Season 2. In the clip that’s gone viral on Twitter, former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins is chatting with Matt Smith about scenes he had done with Emma D’Arcy in Season 1, though the narrative keeps Smith and D'Arcy largely apart in Season 2. Perkins uses “she” when referring to the actor, but Smith then responds by seemingly making a point to use the word “they” multiple times, as a way to politely, but clearly, make the correction. Check out the exchange below.

Matt correcting Sue on Emma's pronouns OH MY HEART 😭 pic.twitter.com/G6kBssjIG2June 10, 2024

Smith doesn’t call out Perkins, but he does make sure that he uses the correct pronouns after the interviewer has failed to do so. Smith is largely being celebrated on social media for coming to his co-star’s defense since they weren’t there at the time. Those who are pleased with Smith are equally frustrated with Sue Perkins.

Sue Perkins Apologized For Her Mistake

A lot of people on social media have seen this exchange, and many have been less than kind to Sue Perkins for her mistake, feeling she should have known better. For her part, Perkins herself seems to agree that she should have known better. In a response to a now-deleted criticism of the error, Perkins explained why it happened, but ultimately accepted that she screwed up, saying….

It was a shitty mistake. Had loads of stuff going on in my earpiece and so wasn't as focused as I should have been. No excuses though. These things matter and I feel terrible about it. Am a massive fan of their work and would never want to be disrespectful.

As Perkins herself says, these things matter. It’s seen as a sign of respect and simple courtesy to refer to somebody by the pronouns they ask for. Perkins certainly isn’t the first to make such an error, but while the error may not have been malicious, it was reportedly not the only time during the press tour such an error occurred.

Matt Smith Reveals How The Doctor Would Act If He Ended Up In House Of The Dragon, And It's Hilariously On-Brand

Riley Utley — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:15:43 +0000

When you look at Matt Smith’s best-known characters, The Doctor and Daemon Targaryen lie at the top of that list but are also at polar opposite ends of his range. The leading-time lord on Doctor Who is one of the nicest and just characters out there, and the actor’s House of the Dragon character is quite literally vile and villainous. With that in mind, the actor behind both these men was asked how his time-traveling character would act if he traveled to Westeros, and he had the most on-brand answer.

With the premiere of House of the Dragon Season 2 right around the corner and a new season of Doctor Who staring Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor airing on the 2024 TV schedule, Matt Smith was asked a silly question about the two shows. However, he was so game to think about the answer as he told The AP this about how his time lord would act if he took the TARDIS to the world of Game of Thrones:

I definitely think he'd get himself on a dragon at some point. I think he'd probably, I mean, he might even get one back in the TARDIS. I don't know, I think the Doctor might whip them all into shape, to be honest. I'd quite like to see the Doctor sort Daemon Targaryen out. Who knows? But, you know, The Doctor would come in and create his own sense of chaos, I have no doubt.

First of all, I love that Matt Smith’s initial answer was all about The Doctor getting his hands on one of the Targaryen dragons. Of course, his first thought had to do with the dragons. When talking about Daemon, the actor always loves to mention the creature. However, it’s not a shock at all that he also thinks his Eleventh Doctor would want to take a dragon home with him too.

Adding to this on-brand answer, I totally agree with him that The Doctor would try to help Daemon become a better person. I’m sure he’d throw out some words of wisdom that would wind up on a list of iconic Doctor Who quotes, and I hope he’d help the Targaryen prince become a little less self-centered and power-hungry.

Learn More About Matt Smith’s Two Legendary Roles

(Image credit: Theo Whitman/HBO)

Matt Smith Was Worried About Signing On For House Of The Dragon, And His Concerns Were Game Of Thrones-Related

Doctor Who's Matt Smith Recalls His Hesitation Over Joining The Franchise, And The Awesome Realization He Had Soon After

The last part of this answer is honestly what makes it the most on-brand for both Smith and the Eleventh Doctor. The time lord, as great as he is, is an agent of chaos, so you know he’d bring some thrill to Westeros (not that it needs more of it).

Hopefully, that could help put an end to the Targaryen civil war or maybe it could help Daemon or other characters out a bit. However, there is no denying that the sci-fi character brings chaos wherever he goes, which would only make House of the Dragon wilder.

Obviously, The Doctor will never go to Westeros. However, it’s fun to dream, and I love that Matt Smith was down to. These two characters are some of his best, and the shows they come from will no doubt go down in TV history.

While a Doctor Who and House of the Dragon crossover is something we can only fantasize about, luckily, in real life, there are new seasons of both on this year’s TV schedule. So, as we keep dreaming about what would happen if The Doctor met Daemon, you can stream the new season of Doctor Who with a Disney+ subscription, and you’ll be able to catch new episodes of House of the Dragon’s second season with a Max subscription when it returns on Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET.

Emma D'Arcy Gets Real About How Lonely Shooting House Of The Dragon Season 2 Was, But There's A Silver Lining

Ryan LaBee — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 17:55:50 +0000

House of the Dragon Season 2 is finally set to return on the 2024 TV schedule on June 16. In a recent interview, Emma D’Arcy, who plays Queen Rhaenyra—the matriarch of the Targaryen family and rightful heir to the throne—shared insights into what it was like to return to Westeros. D’Arcy mentioned that filming the sophomore season felt somewhat lonely, but they also noted a silver lining.

Speaking to THR at the show’s New York premiere on Monday, Emma D'Arcy opened up about their experience filming the second season of the popular HBO series without their fellow HotD cast members Matt Smith and Olivia Cooke. The Truth Seekers veteran actor admitted that the absence of their fellow actors left them feeling isolated and "kind of lonely" on set.

However, it makes being a viewer more fun, as they shared:

There’s so many beautiful actors on the show, it’s an ever-mutating thing. Certainly, I think it’ll make the active viewership kind of more exciting because there are so many parts to the series that I’ve not had the chance to watch yet. So I get to watch as sort of a pure fan, these other narrative strands.

The Game of Thrones universe and Emma D'Arcy have been trending topics since the premiere of the spinoff prequel series in 2022. The Wanderlust star’s portrayal of Rhaenyra has been widely praised, but the actor's recent revelations have shed light on the personal challenges they faced during production. The O Holy Ghost actor described the experience as both lonely and transformative. They continued:

It really makes you know what you lost, I suppose — every time we do get to work [together], it’s a great privilege and very exciting and very thrilling and nourishes something because it sort of feels old. So much of us making the first series, well for me, was falling in love with them — with Matt, with Liv, with other members of the cast — so anytime you get joy in that is a treat. But shows have to move on, I think that’s what keeps it exciting, and there are different gravitational pulls this season for [Rhaenyra].

Despite the loneliness, D'Arcy found a silver lining in the experience. The changing cast dynamics not only allowed them to appreciate the series from a fresh perspective, akin to that of a dedicated fan but also added a layer of excitement to the show's evolution. This newfound appreciation underscores the show's evolving nature, which continues to introduce new characters and storylines that keep the audience eagerly engaged.

With Daemon departing Dragonstone to join the fight, there were fewer scenes between D’Arcy and Matt Smith. Reflecting on this, the former Doctor Who actor echoed his costar's sentiments:

It was a shame, I missed them terribly because I love being around them; not only are they a wonderful actor, they’re a wonderful person to sort of knock about with every day. So I missed them, but it was what the story required. Daemon is off on his own path trying to figure things out, kind of head first into the dark hole of his own consciousness, into the abyss, and I think Rhaenyra feels a great sense of betrayal.

Although it's disappointing that we won't see many scenes between Daemon and Rhaenyra as well as Rhaenyra and Alicent in the upcoming season, it makes sense, given the dramatic conclusion of HOTD's fires season. Their separation paves the way for more intense and brutal events in the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of Dragons. Overall, there are several moments from Fire & Blood that fans like me eagerly anticipate, so bring on the premiere!

Season 2 of House of the Dragon premieres June 16 on Max. Fans can catch up on Season 1 with a Max subscription, and then they'll be ready to see these characters navigating the ever-expanding world of Westeros when the GOT prequel returns this summer.

‘He Was Really Generous With That’: Matt Smith Reveals The Great Advice David Tennant Gave Him When He Signed On For Doctor Who

Caroline Young — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:15:00 +0000

In the world of Doctor Who, each actor portraying the titular role brings something unique to the part. From Peter Capaldi’s older, more curt Doctor, to Matt Smith’s lighter and boyish approach to the character, the stars give fans something new with every portrayal. Back when the time came for 10th Doctor David Tennant to pass the baton to Matt Smith, the latter knew he had a big task on his hands, considering the amount of expository dialogue in the script. Smith recently reflected on the essential advice Tennant gave him to help with learning his lines.

In an interview with Variety, the House of the Dragon star reminisced about some of his most memorable lines from across his career. When the subject turned to Doctor Who's iconic lines, Smith reflected on his experiences, and how much of an undertaking the role's dialogue was. Doctor Who's leads tend to be incredibly fast-talking, with much of the complet plot and functions of this world being articulated by the central character. When Tennant left the role and Smith took over, he left the younger actor with the following essential advice, according to Smith:

The line learning for that job was insatiable. And David Tennant, God love him, said to me when I, when I sort of phoned him and got the job and asked him for different bits of advice, he was really generous with that. He was like, 'Learn all of your lines on Sunday, because you've got to go back and do them.' Because you're shooting like 10 pages a day. [The Doctor is] the vocal point for the exposition, essentially, because he's saying everything that he sees. And obviously is television, so you're not doing it visually in quite the same way that you would in a film. You've got to explain what's going on to the audience, because the story's got to move so quickly. So the line learning was just off the Richter scale, like a lot.

Even though playing the role required a lot of work on his part, Matt Smith ended up staying on the popular series for three years, and remains one of the most beloved actors to play the part, even if Tennant still remains the fan favorite. Tennant’s advice must’ve been helpful, considering Smith made the wordy dialogue seem natural, and stream of consciousness, immersing the audience in the world.

The two Doctor actors even interacted at one point in the series, making for one of the best Doctor Who episodes to date. They showcased their ability to rapidfire the franchise's intricate lines together, and it seems like the prior advice paid off quite well.

Smith also reflected on how positive of an experience working on the show was, and how much he loved the character. He said:

One of the greatest experiences of my life and not just my my family and my friends because it's such a to be so closely connected with a part like that for the legacy of it one but also just for the day to day of being, like having to think like the doctor is sort of magic.

The magic of Doctor Who helps justify why so many people still resonate with the character and the ever-developing lore. The show in its entirety has been around for decades, with 30 seasons under its belt. There have so far been 14 actors taking on the Doctor, making each part of a beloved legacy that will continue throughout their respective careers. Smith hasn’t played the role in a major capacity in over 10 years, but his presence left a mark, and will likely be celebrated forever. Considering his continued love for the experience, this is a very special thing.

Clearly the line0-learning tip from Tennant has been advantageous in his continued success as well. Smith has been a part of immersive storytelling experiences in series like The Crown and House of the Dragon. Both of these shows require the actors to build their world through dialogue, a skill Smith is basically an expert at now. It seems like Tennant not only helped Smith when playing the Doctor, but also gave him a sound piece of advice to carry with him throughout his career. That’s a true friend.

You can revisit both David Tennant and Matt Smith’s tenure on BBC’s Doctor Who with a Max subscription. You can also check out the latest season of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa, which is available with a Disney+ subscription.

Matt Smith Was Worried About Signing On For House Of The Dragon, And His Concerns Were Game Of Thrones-Related

Laura Hurley — Thu, 30 May 2024 00:27:36 +0000

The twisted Targaryen family tree is on the way back to primetime with House of the Dragon Season 2, and HBO went all-out with the trailers to set up the Blacks vs. the Greens. With the majority of the Season 1 stars reprising their roles for the second season, Matt Smith – a.k.a. Daemon Targaryen himself – has shared the reservations he had about joining the series after the phenomenon of Game of Thrones.

Matt Smith was arguably the best-known member of the House of the Dragon cast ahead of Season 1 thanks to Doctor Who and The Crown, and readers of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood knew that anybody playing Daemon would be portraying a tricky character. According to Matt Smith to Variety, however, the complications of the Rogue Prince weren't what concerned him about joining the first Game of Thrones spinoff. He shared what he told creators Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik during the casting process:

My concern is that we’ve seen this story told. That’s the first thing I said.

It was a valid concern – Game of Thrones had only ended with its divisive series finale a year earlier in 2019 when Matt Smith met with the creators in 2020 about possibly playing Daemon. The final season heavily featured the only remaining branch of the Targaryen family tree and culminated in one of the last two killing the other. That kind of conflict already began in House of the Dragon Season 1 and is set to continue in Season 2, although on a much larger scale than Dany and Jon.

Of course, fans who were burned by the GOT finale might have been wary of House of the Dragon, not least because premiering a fantasy epic in 2022 was very different from Game of Thrones coming out of nowhere in 2011. The era of "peak TV" has ended since the final credits rolled on Thrones, as Matt Smith observed:

Audiences have changed. The way TV is consumed has changed. You can see a market saturate itself and envelop itself, and become obsolete.

Expectations are different in the House of the Dragon era vs. Game of Thrones era, not least because streaming and binge-watching are popular ways of consuming television nowadays. There are also more fantasy TV options than there were in the GOT days, ranging from Netflix'sThe Witcher to Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Matt Smith went on to tell the outlet that while comparisons between HOTD and Thrones were "unavoidable, when you’re standing on the shoulders of a show that really got into the cultural zeitgeist of the world," he didn't expect his show to match its predecessor. He went on:

In a way, I was lucky, because I had that in Doctor Who a bit. But it feels like people judge it on its own terms. You’re never going to create the moment in time that Game of Thrones was — the love and affection and scale of that show. It’s never going to be that, because it was a moment in time.

It may be for the best that House of the Dragon can't recreate the Game of Thrones "moment in time," as all that love and affection for the show made disappointment in the ending hit all the harder for fans who didn't get what they wanted from the series finale back in 2019.

The two shows are also very different, for all that they have the same theme song and are set in the Seven Kingdoms. At the very least, there are a whole lot more dragons and plenty of incest that isn't considered taboo in the show set centuries before Jon Snow and Co. took center stage in Game of Thrones!

Fortunately for fans who have been missing House of the Dragon for the better part of two years now, Season 2 will arrive in the 2024 TV schedule on Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET. If you want to revisit the first season (or full run of Game of Thrones) in the meantime, you can do so streaming with a Max subscription.

'No Chance, I'm Coming For His Head:' Watch The House Of The Dragon Cast Get Into A Hilarious Debate About Team Green Vs. Team Black

Riley Utley — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 21:44:33 +0000

As Season 2 of House of the Dragon approaches its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, the battle between the Greens and Blacks is heating up. The inevitable Targaryen civil war is upon us, and while we’re very aware of why the characters despise each other, the HOTD cast is getting in on the fight too, and it’s hilarious.

Following House of the Dragon’s dueling trailers, a new promo for the upcoming season of the Game of Thrones prequel showed the ensemble putting their best arguments forward about why their respective teams are the best. They obviously answered this question with passion, and surprisingly threw in a lot of humor too, take a look:

Only one can sit on the Iron Throne. pic.twitter.com/W88F2B6PmlApril 19, 2024

I must say, while I’m already pretty staunchly on Team Black, the Team Green arguments were pretty flimsy no matter what way you look at it. For example, Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays King Aegon II, said:

Why should Team Green be on the throne, and not Team Black? My name is on the lease for the castle.

I got a good chuckle out of this. He’s right, the castle is technically his. However, as Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon said, the Greens are “usupers.” So…his name might be on the lease, but that doesn’t mean it's rightfully his, as the Team Black member said:

Team Green are usurpers. Team Black are the rightful heirs. They were named by the king. They’re just better looking generally.

Well, really everybody on this show is good-looking, but Toussaint’s point is noted with a laugh.

Continuing with the Team Green arguments, they were lacking the passion Team Black had. Take these three comments from the actors behind Alicent, Aemond and Criston:

“I think it’s more a loyalty thing for Cole. I think it’s his loyalty to Alicent. He wants what she wants. I myself, no comment.” -Fabien Frankel, Ser Criston Cole
“Aemond, he was bullied and wronged as a kid. They carved his eye out. He bounced back, he put a sapphire gemstone in his eye. And yeah, they’re gonna get what’s coming to them.” -Ewan Mitchell, Prince Aemond Targaryen
“We have bigger dragons. [laughs]” - Olivia Cooke, Queen Alicent

Frankle and Mitchell's comments were completely centered around their characters, not their team. They need to think like a united front if they want to win! Individual motivation will only get you so far. Plus, the Criston Cole actor even admitted that he’s not commenting on his allegiances personally, whereas the actors on Team Black passionately supported their crew.

Also, Targaryen dragons only make for part of the battle, you need some gusto to win the war, and that’s what Team Black has in droves, just take Matt Smith’s comments as the perfect example:

No chance. I’m coming for his head. I’m gonna put it on a spike. Me and Rhaenyra, there’s a bloodline to us isn’t there? We’re the thoroughbreds.

While everyone involved in this war is connected to the Targaryen family, the side supporting Rhaenyra seems to have a bit more passion. That makes sense, though. Her side is playing offense, not defense right now. Here are some of the other Team Black points that help illuminate that:

“They’re the best. And the annoying people are pretty obviously the Greens. They’re all just a bunch of knobs, and they need their heads being knocked together.” -Eve Best, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
“I think we love each other way more. I think we have a family base that is incredible.” -Phoebe Campbell, Lady Rhaena Targaryen
“TeamBlack are the most fun. We get on the most. They all hate each other.” -Bethany Antonia, Lady Baela Targaryen

Emma D’Arcy also pointed out that while the Greens have bigger dragons, they have the Velaryon fleet. So, between their boats, dragons and passion, I think the Blacks won this debate. However, the Greens' points were valid-ish and very entertaining.

To go back and see why the Greens and Blacks despise each other so much, you can stream Season 1 of House of the Dragon with a Max subscription. Then, to find out if this reasoning helps one side win, make sure to tune into Season 2 on June 16.

House Of The Dragon Is Asking Fans To Choose Sides In Season 2, And Many Have Made It Hilariously Clear There's Only One Right Team

Riley Utley — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:38:25 +0000

When House of the Dragon dropped two trailers for Season 2, it implored fans to choose their sides before the series premieres on the 2024 TV schedule this summer. Well, the fans sure listened, and it seems like a whole lot of them are choosing the same side as they took to Twitter to passionately defend Rhaenyra Targaryen and the Blacks through hilariously passionate posts.

While we’ve known that the civil war between the House Targaryen was imminent, the Green and Black trailers for Season 2 of House of the Dragon made the divide even bigger among the family, but not necessarily the fans. I’m sure there are Green supporters out there. However, those who stand with the Blacks overtook social media to show their allegiance to Rhaenyra and her allies, and show that she's the right choice in this battle.

@GOThistorian is ready to defend the princess (and rightful heir to the Iron Throne) with their life as they posted his hilarious meme from The Simpsons:

I have Rhaenyra’s back even if hbo do not pic.twitter.com/YLwNX5I9axMarch 21, 2024

Other fans had fire in their eyes and in their posts, like @swiftsdany, who posted this hilarious video:

this is how i will be supporting rhaenyra’s war crimes this season #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/YHhShqsXGGMarch 21, 2024

Clearly, fans are livid like Rhaenyra following the events of the HOTD Season 1 finale. Between her dad dying, her throne being taken from her, and her son dying, she has every right to be mad at the people who stole her title and were responsible for her child’s death.

On top of that, Alicent’s children and her father play dirty, and while Rhaenyra (and especially Daemon) do too, the Hightower-Targaryen family is considerably worse. Their power plays to get the throne have been calculated and nasty, and it’s time we see Rhaenyra play some offense rather than defense.

With all that being said, no matter how messy Emma D'Arcy's character plays in the upcoming season, fans are ready to defend her, like @rhaelina, who posted this funny clip:

daemon and rhaenyra planning their war crimes together oh lucerys will be avenged indeed #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/0STgRPwhwvMarch 21, 2024

Keeping this energy, and encouraging more chaos, @allurequinn retweeted the Black trailer, noting that they’ll follow their queen through thick and thin:

i am not sorry for the person i would become coz i will stand by rhaenyra’s side no matter what https://t.co/bWGeg3QhTCMarch 21, 2024

Both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones don’t shy away from violence, and it looks like Season 2 of HOTD could be the most brutal trip to Westeros yet. However, I think fans are not only ready for the battle that’s coming, they’re excited about it.

Bringing the discourse about being Team Rhaenyra home, @Mayham_H posted a video emphasizing that they are with her, and over 20 thousand people showed their agreement by hitting the like button.

WE STAND WITH QUEEN RHAENYRA TARGARYEN !!!pic.twitter.com/iKhscyvCus https://t.co/hGh4Hz3avsMarch 21, 2024

These trailers – which you can see the Black one below – really riled fans up, and it helped them choose their side. For many, that meant passionately making their allegiance to Rhaenyra known, and I love that they’ve done it in such hilarious ways.

So, with all this being said, fans and the Targaryens seem ready to get their dragons and go to battle. And they’ll be able to when House of the Dragon premieres on June 16. In the meantime, you can go back and remember why you chose your teams by streaming HOTD with a Max subscription.

House Of The Dragon Released Two 'Dueling' Trailers For Season 2, And Now I Really Know Whose Side I'm On

Riley Utley — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:15:53 +0000

It’s time to choose sides and prepare for battle, because the new trailers for Season 2 of House of the Dragon, just confirmed that we are headed for an all-out war between the Greens and Blacks, and it’s not going to be pretty. Again, by releasing not one, but two, trailers, House of the Dragon is showing fans that war is waging, and we must choose a side. And I have to say, I know which team I'm on.

Let me make something clear, I've always been on the side of the Blacks, and their Season 2 trailer helped prove that, as you can see below:

As you can see, Rhaenyra is playing offense, in this trailer and she's ready for a fight. And rightfully so, because as she said, she "needs to fight this war, and win it."

The catastrophic events of HOTD’s Season 1 finale saw Alicent's son Aemond chase Rhaenyra’s son Luke through the skies on their dragons leading to the death of Luke. This inciting incident was the breaking point for the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, and it marked the culmination of all the events that led to this aggressive rift between her and Alicent. Now, the question is: How will she use her power to get her throne, the one her father wanted her to have, and how will Alicent and the Greens defend it?

Following the Blacks trailer, we also got the Greens trailer:

In this second trailer, we saw the conflict from Alicent's point of view. Her father claims that the Targaryens are fighting for the "satisfaction of vengeance." He also tells his daughter that war is the only option, and her son King Aegon agrees. Personally, I can't get behind the Hightowers and their rule, and this trailer helped confirm that. They are playing defense, and rightfully so. I don't think Aegon is the right person for the throne, I think the way he got there was nasty, and I think his family's motivation to keep this power that was never theirs is terrifying.

Just like how we learned from the House of the Dragon teaser trailer that a “war between dragons” was coming and art that foreshadowed major tragedy, these trailers and the key art released the day before show the clear division between the House of Targaryen, and now it's time for fans to choose their side too. If you weren’t aware of where allegiances lie, these trailers and art (pictured below) made it clear as day:

(Image credit: HBO)

As you can see above, on the side of the Greens, you can see (from left to right) Tom Glynn-Carney as the newly crowned king of Westeros, Aegon Targaryen, Fabien Frankel’s knight Ser Criston Cole, Alicent’s devious son Aemond Targaryen played by Ewan Mitchell, and of course, Olivia Cooke herself as Alicent Hightower.

Then, on the Blacks (from left to right) you can see Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen at the center followed by her husband, Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen as well as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, played by Eve Best, and Steve Toussaint’s Lord Corlys Velaryon.

As the poster says, and the trailer screams, they “all must choose” sides. I know which side I'm on, and I'm so curious to see how Season 2 will impact the views I have right now. Knowing the world we're about to re-enter, I'm sure opinions are bound to change and shift as power plays are made by both sides. However, as it stands right now, Rhaenyra Targaryen is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, and she's been through too much not to take it.

Luckily, we won't have to wait long to see how this battle plays out, as House of the Dragon will hit the 2024 TV schedule on June 16. In the meantime, while we wait for the war to begin, you can stream Season 1 of HOTD along with its predecessor Game of Thrones with a Max subscription.

Doctor Who's Matt Smith Recalls His Hesitation Over Joining The Franchise, And The Awesome Realization He Had Soon After

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:53:47 +0000

A new era of Doctor Who is underway, and while Matt Smith has kept up on these latest episodes and even shared kind words with new star Ncuti Gatwa, we don't know if he'll ever return. While that's still a big question mark, we recently learned that there was almost a time when we didn't have Smith in the franchise at all, as he talked about the doubts and realization he had about joining the iconic BBC franchise.

Smith spoke to BBC Politics, and as is often the case with every Doctor Who actor, no matter the reason they're being interviewed or what they're trying to promote, he was asked about the series and playing the Doctor. The interviewer mentioned hearing that he had doubts about taking the role, which the actor confirmed, and he talked about what he learned after joining the series:

I was young and sort of foolish. I'm still foolish I'm just old now. I thought, well, would I just always be Doctor Who? And then I realized always being Doctor Who is amazing. It's a great thing it's still one of the pleasures of my life. I'm so proud of that show.

It helps, of course, that Matt Smith has another major role to hang his hat on on the 2024 TV schedule as part of the House of the Dragon cast. It's a role that's wildly different from what the actor was doing before he left Doctor Who, but one I daresay he wouldn't have gotten otherwise without rising to prominence with The BBC series.

Playing The Doctor, after all, is a popular gig. Matt Smith shared some of the cooler perks of playing the role, and how the people who most recognized him as the Time Lord have grown up over the years:

And it's just the most amazing part. Suddenly you're Doctor Who, so children are like, 'What? No way! You're Doctor Who!'...interestingly now they're eighteen and now, 'Ah when I was young, you were really cool.' I'm not now.

When asked whether he'd ever return to Doctor Who, Matt Smith used the words "Never say never." It's not a guarantee, but it's refreshing to hear following David Tennant's brutally honest response about his Fourteenth Doctor returning.

I Love All Of These:

(Image credit: BBC)

32 Iconic Quotes From Doctor Who's Modern Era

Ironically enough, David Tennant played a key role in introducing a relatively easy way for Matt Smith to return as The Doctor, should the stars ever align. Russell T. Davies made the major reveal that when the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors bi-generated, so did every other Doctor. If Smith returns, he can play the character at his older age without needing too much makeup and just chalk it up to the Eleventh Doctor being older now.

Stream any modern Doctor Who episode from Matt Smith's time in the role, and you'll see why so many want him back in the mix. His ability to jump between happy-go-lucky and sad was one of the best parts of his run, and I don't think any Doctor before or since can execute it in the way he can. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll see him again in a future episode, especially because a shared episode with Gatwa would be so fun.

Doctor Who's new season will begin streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription in May 2024. The future for the franchise is looking brighter with every new announcement, so I do hope past stars like Matt Smith can find an opportunity to join in on the fun at some point.

Doctor Who's Matt Smith Shares Thoughts On Ncuti Gatwa And Reveals Two-Word Message He Gave The Actor

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 22:35:07 +0000

Doctor Who is a brotherhood of sorts, and it seems even if they don't share an episode, the actors who played the Doctors over the years are linked by the role and tend to follow each other's runs. Matt Smith is an actor in particular who remains interested in the franchise despite not making an appearance in the 60th anniversary. He recently shared his thoughts on the performance and words spoken from the new star of the series, Ncuti Gatwa.

Gatwa, who had a wild introduction thanks to The Doctor's bi-generation in "The Giggle," was watched by many with a Disney+ subscription in the Christmas episode "The Church on Ruby Road." During a recent interview with BBC Sounds, Smith said he still keeps up with Doctor Who and shared his thoughts on Ncuti Gatwa:

Yeah, yeah I always keep an eye on Doctor Who. I think he's great, Ncuti. Yeah, I think he's just totally made for it...I dropped him a line and said, 'Well done.'

This is only the latest moment between the two stars, as Ncuti Gatwa shared he briefly had a sweet interaction with Matt Smith ahead of the announcement he'd be the Fifteenth Doctor. It's good that Smith still thinks Gatwa is up for the challenge and is a fan of what he's seen of the star so far.

32 Iconic Quotes From Doctor Who's Modern Era

(Image credit: The BBC)

Each one is better than the last.

Unfortunately, Matt Smith didn't share any details about whether or not he'd be interested in returning, which is something many longtime fans are always waiting to hear about. The actor has found roles elsewhere after leaving the series and has talked about why Doctor Who's stars don't stay on the show long in the past. One would hope he'd not be feeling quite so burnt out on appearing years later, but as mentioned, he's busy with HBO's House of the Dragon Season 2 and other projects.

With that said, even if Smith was planned for an upcoming season of Doctor Who, he likely wouldn't be at liberty to share that with fans. Russell T. Davies prefers to keep big things secret for as long as possible, even when leaks happen. Remember when actors had to play coy for months ahead of the show officially bringing back David Tennant and Catherine Tate? I certainly do.

Based on what little I've seen of Ncuti Gatwa so far, I think he'd do great alongside Smith's Doctor. Plus, Russell T. Davies' dropped the major detail in a commentary track that every Doctor bi-generated across time, so an older Smith could make an appearance as the 11th Doctor and no one would bat an eye. Of course, he doesn't look all that different now from when he played the role back in the day, so I don't think anyone would bat an eye in the first place. Time will tell if it happens, as we look forward to a lot of surprises during Gatwa's run as the Doctor.

Doctor Who returns to Disney+ with a new season in May of 2024. The Who fans at CinemaBlend are psyched for the upcoming season, as well as all the fun that could happen both expected and unexpected.

Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa Recalls The Sweet Interaction He Had With Matt Smith Before He Was Announced As The Doctor

Christina Izzo — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 03:30:13 +0000

Ncuti Gatwa has had quite the rise to fame these last few years, going from being homeless and couch-surfing before his breakout role on Sex Education, to now playing the Doctor himself on Doctor Who. Gatwa couldn't announce that he nabbed the coveted gig for ages, even keeping his Barbie co-stars in the dark about the role, but he did almost let it slip to a very surprising source: the Eleventh Doctor himself, Matt Smith.

During a recent sit-down with BBC Radio 1, Gatwa discussed when he met Smith— who played the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series from 2010 to 2013 — for the first time, and it was before it had been officially announced that he would be taking on the role of the Doctor's fifteenth incarnation:

I bumped into [Matt Smith] on the dance floor of a party. He was really lovely. And I was really excited to talk to him. And he was excited as well, but at a normal level. I was vibrating. He was looking at me, and I was like 'I'm following in your footsteps!' And he was like 'OK [gives a thumbs up] lovely.'

However, Ncuti said that his seemingly random comment to Smith finally made sense when the BBC formally announced his casting:

Then the day of the announcement, [Matt] voice-note-ed me and was like 'Ahhhh.'

Once the news was officially out in May 2022 that Gatwa would be taking over the role of the Doctor from Jodie Whittaker, who had played the part since 2017, The Crown actor was effusive with praise.

He called Ncuti's casting "sensational" and said the performer was a "brilliant" choice to portray the beloved character. He told Variety in July 2022:

I think it’s the most sensational bit of casting. What an actor — he’s brilliant in ‘Sex Education.' I think he’s got something ‘other’ that that part really needs...I’m really, really excited to see where ‘Doctor Who’ is going. I love ‘Doctor Who,’ it’s forever in my heart.

Throughout the BBC Radio 1 interview, Gatwa also revealed that there's a group chat that David Tennant — from whom our latest Time Lord bi-generated during that Doctor Who 60th-anniversary special episode earlier this month — started with some of the other prior Doctors, including Smith. Even more adorable? It's called the "Who-niverse."

Smith isn't the only big-name celebrity giving Ncuti kudos for his Doctor Who starring role: his Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling sported a bootleg Doctor Who shirt to support his fellow onscreen Ken. Plus, The Toymaker actor Neil Patrick Harris had glowing things to say about Gatwa's casting and the fact that fans finally have their first gay Doctor in the long-running franchise. The Rwandan-Scottish actor is also, notably, the first Black man to portray the Doctor.

You'll next be able to see Ncuti as the new Doctor in the 2023 TV schedule's Doctor Who Christmas special, which premieres on Monday, December 25, and can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. And this time, Matt Smith won't have to be at all secretive about his praise!

32 Iconic Quotes From Doctor Who's Modern Era

Riley Utley — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:04:12 +0000

You can always count on The Doctor to deliver some iconic and memorable lines of dialogue, and ever since Doctor Who’s modern era began in 2005, we’ve gotten countless legendary lines. This quick-witted and wise time lord played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa has delivered some hilarious, poignant and at times sassy quotes, so let’s look back at 32 of them.

(Image credit: BBC)

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff." -Tenth Doctor in “Blink”

As David Tennant’s Doctor is attempting to explain a very complex situation to Sally and Larry in “Blink,” one of Doctor Who’s best episodes, they keep questioning him about how time works. Ultimately, he gives into the question and explains it as eloquently and simply as he can, which is of course still pretty “wibbly-wobbly.”

(Image credit: BBC)

"I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams." -Eleventh Doctor in "The Almost People"

As the Eleven explained his outlook on life in this episode, he summed it all up by defining himself as “the optimist.” Not only is it a sweet quote from Matt Smith’s Doctor, it’s also lovely words to live by.

(Image credit: BBC)

"All right then, Doctor Whoever I’m about to be… Tag. You’re it." - Thirteenth Doctor in “The Power of the Doctor”

Ending out a historic run, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor left us with an iconic line before tagging a familiar face, David Tennant, as the Fourteenth Doctor.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I’m not sure if any of that matters. Friends. Enemies. So long as there is mercy. Always, mercy." - Twelfth Doctor in “The Witch's Familiar”

Rather than killing Davros, the Twelfth Doctor showed mercy, which is a core value of his. Even though the Daleks have tried to destroy him over and over again, he continues to see the best in everyone, even those who seem inherently evil.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Fantastic!" -Ninth Doctor’s Catchphrase

Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor may not be the most chipper, however, when he got excited he’d yell “Fantastic!” which was always a joy to hear.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Don’t blink. Don’t even blink. Blink and you’re dead." -Tenth Doctor in “Blink”

The weeping angels – a monster essential to understanding Doctor Who – are single-handedly one of the scariest creatures on the show. That became very apparent in “Blink” as the Tenth Doctor explained that if you bat an eye, you could end up dead, because you never know when the lurking angel statues will get you.

(Image credit: BBC )

“Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically... run!” -Eleventh Doctor in “The Eleventh Hour”

Before Matt Smith was playing the menacing Daemon in the House of the Dragon cast, he was frolicking across space and time as the Eleventh Doctor. However, like the Targaryen prince he plays, Eleven had a knack for holding his ground, which is exactly what happened in Smith’s very first episode of Doctor Who through this line.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Rose… before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I!" -Ninth Doctor in “The Parting of the Ways"

Christopher Eccleston may have left the show after one season, but the Ninth Doctor will always be remembered. From his beautiful relationship with Rose to his “fantastic” last line, he still has a great legacy.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I eat danger for breakfast. I don't, I prefer cereal. Or croissants." - Thirteenth Doctor in “Arachnids in the UK”

Some Doctors prefer fish fingers and custard, the Thirteenth Doctor prefers “cereal” and “croissants.” However, while she doesn’t want “danger” as the first meal of the day, she can totally handle it.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Everything ends, and it's always sad. But everything begins again too, and that's always happy. Be happy. I'll look after everything else." -Twelfth Doctor in “The Return of Doctor Mysterio”

Anytime The Doctor has to talk about their past, it’s always sad. However, the timelord is also aware of how good things can be as well. So, when speaking about taking care of the world after returning, he implores those he’s with to “be happy,” and not dwell on the end.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Allons-y!" -Tenth Doctor’s Catchphrase

While the other Doctors’ catchphrases are in English, David Tennant’s fan-favorite Tenth Doctor decided to get fancy and make his French. Honestly, every time I hear “Allons-y” – which means “let’s go” – I smile.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Just this once, everybody lives!" -Ninth Doctor in “The Doctor Dances”

“The Doctor Dances” and the child who keeps asking “are you my mummy” is one of the most emotional Doctor Who episodes. That's in great part because after the Doctor succeeds, he has a moment of elation as he exclaims that for once, finally, everybody lived.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Geronimo!" -Eleventh Doctor’s Catchphrase

You can always count on Matt Smith’s Doctor and his catchy catchphrase! Filled with optimism and youthful energy, as “geronimo” implies, he was ready to jump into any situation.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person." -Tenth Doctor in “The Lazarus Experiment”

Throughout their years of life, The Doctor has gained immense wisdom, especially when it comes to spending time with those you love. This line is delivered as Ten explains why there’s more meaning in living a full life than a long one, a lesson The Doctor knows all too well, and one we can all stand to learn from.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Never be cruel. Never be cowardly. Hate is always foolish. Love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Doctor… I let you go." -Twelfth Doctor in “Twice Upon A Time”

While Peter Capaldi’s Doctor was known for being the grumpiest of the bunch, he was also wise and caring, as you can tell with this sweet and inspirational quote from his final moments before Jodie Whittaker took over as the Thirteenth Doctor.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Bowties are cool." -Eleventh Doctor in “The Eleventh Hour”

While the Eleventh Doctor’s formal catchphrase is “Geronimo,” he also repeats this line enough it should be considered one too. What can he say, the man loves a bowtie, and we love him for it.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I don't want to go!" -Tenth Doctor in “The End of Time”

It’s always sad when a Doctor regenerates, however, Ten’s was extra emotional, because he didn’t want to leave. David Tennant truly loved playing the Doctor, and you could feel the sadness as he said goodbye. Luckily, he didn’t leave forever as he came back for “Day of the Doctor” and he returned again for the 60th Anniversary as the Fourteenth iteration of the time lord.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I'm just a traveler. Sometimes I see things need fixing, I do what I can." -Thirteenth Doctor in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”

From the jump, when Jodie Whittaker took over as The Doctor, she made it clear that she is still the time lord we know and love as she explained that she’d do whatever she could to help fix things.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I hate being wrong in public. Everybody forget that happened." -Twelfth Doctor in “Deep Breath”

In Peter Capaldi’s first episode as The Doctor he made it very clear that he absolutely hates being wrong in public, and who can blame him? It also established his snarky sense of humor immediately.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I will always remember when the Doctor was me." -Eleventh Doctor in “The Time Of The Doctor”

While the Eleventh Doctor looks the youngest, he actually lives longer than almost all their other generations. After spending over 1,000 years in this body, he knows it is time to go. However, as he said on his way out, he’ll always remember this generation of being the Doctor.

(Image credit: BBC)

"You’re my favorite, you are. You are the best, you know why? Cos you’re so thick! You’re Mr. Thick Thick Thickety Thickface from Thicktown, Thickania. And so’s your dad!" -Tenth Doctor in “The Girl in the Fireplace”

The Doctor has sick burns up their sleeves every once in a while, but this was not one of those moments. However, what matters is David Tennant’s Doctor tried. In this episode the tipsy time lord waltzed in to save Rose with his tie on his head and drink in hand hurling insults like this at the evil Victorian robots.

(Image credit: BBC)

"In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important." -Eleventh Doctor in “The Almost People”

If there’s one thing the Doctor truly believes in it’s how vital all life is, and how everyone deserves to feel valued. He made that clear during this Christmas special when Matt Smith’s time lord said this memorable line.

(Image credit: BBC)

"If I was still a bloke, I could get on with the job and not have to waste time defending myself." -Thirteenth Doctor in “The Witchfinders”

Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor. In the show, she had some iconic lines – like this one which happened after she was accused of witchcraft – about how the time lord’s experience differs when they’re a woman, and why just because she doesn’t look like the men she’s been before, she shouldn’t be treated differently.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Time travel is like visiting Paris: You can't just read the guidebook. You need to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double, and end up kissing total strangers." -Ninth Doctor in “The Long Game”

One of my favorite genres of Doctor quotes is when they describe how time travel works. At times it’s wibbly-wobbly, as we discussed, and in the Ninth Doctor’s words it’s like “Paris.” You need to go in with an open mind and be ready to “use the wrong verbs,” cause like French when you aren’t fluent in the language, time travel is super confusing.

(Image credit: BBC)

"It’s okay, I understand. You’re an idiot." -Twelfth Doctor in “Under the Lake”

When one guy tried to question Twelve's logic, Capaldi’s time lord responded with his signature snark and sarcasm, saying that it’s OK that he didn’t understand, because he’s “an idiot.”

(Image credit: BBC)

"Lives change worlds. People can save planets or wreck them. That’s the choice. Be the best of humanity." -Thirteenth Doctor in “Orphan 55”

When Thirteen and her pals go to a resort that turns out to have some horrifying secrets, she helps save the day and teaches everyone, including the audience watching the episode, that we should always be trying to be the best of humanity.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Right, physics! Physics, eh? Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics…" -Tenth Doctor in “School Reunion”

Somehow, the Tenth Doctor found himself teaching the youths about physics, and before hopping into his complex lecture, he started by simply saying the word over, and over, and over again. It was hilarious, especially considering the incredibly smart words that came out of his mouth after this silly moment.

(Image credit: BBC)

“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” -Eleventh Doctor in “The Big Bang”

When Eleven thinks he’s going to lose Amy Pond, he tells her their story. At this point, he thinks they’re parting ways and that when Karen Gillan’s character wakes up she won’t remember. So, he simply tells her that he’ll be a story in her head, and that at least the time they shared created a great story.

(Image credit: BBC)

"You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books, the best weapons in the world! This room is the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!" -Tenth Doctor in “Tooth and Claw”

The Doctor never uses weapons. He uses his sonic screwdriver and wit to solve his problems, which is one of their most admirable qualities. So, it made sense that when someone asked if they had weapons to fight the bad guys, Ten responded saying the books that surrounded them would help them more than any weapon.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Shut up. Just shut up, shut up, shut up, shutetty up, up, up!" -Twelfth Doctor in “Time Heist”

Every once in a while the Twelfth Doctor would let his sass fly, and this was one of those moments as he realized to defeat the clone and find the architect they needed to use their eyes.

(Image credit: BBC)

"I am definitely a madman with a box!" -Eleventh Doctor in “The Eleventh Hour”

When The Doctor and Amy meet, she calls him a “madman with a box,” which he 100% is, and he agrees, as he confirms it right to her face during one of their first interactions.

(Image credit: BBC)

"Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand is where I fall." -Twelfth Doctor in “The Doctor Falls”

When Twelve faces the Master, he gives a speech that lays out his moral mission and his goal to save everyone he can, because it’s the kind thing to do. It’s a harrowing moment, and it perfectly describes how Capaldi’s Doctor saw his mission.

As The Doctor continues to travel around time and space, I’m sure they will deliver more iconic lines that are just as funny, motivational and important as the ones above. Doctor Who has been on for over 60 years for a reason, and its incredible writing and quotes are a big reason why.

House Of The Dragon Director Opened Up About Filming That Brothel Scene From The Female Gaze: ‘You Don’t Just Want To Point The Camera At Tits’

Riley Utley — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 01:20:49 +0000

When it comes to House of the Dragon, and its predecessor Game of Thrones, they’ve never really shied away from showing anything. From intense violence to nudity and sex, the show is not afraid to depict any situation, and that was on full display in Episode 4 of Season 1 when Daemon took young Rhaenyra to a brothel, and she (and the audience) saw tons of fully nude people having sex. Now, the director of that episode has opened up about filming the highly talked about scene, how she did it with a female gaze, and why she didn’t “just want to point the camera at tits.”

Clare Kilner was tasked with filming the sequence of Daemon taking his young niece to a brothel while directing the episode “King of the Narrow Sea.” While speaking with THR she opened up about figuring out how to shoot the scene, and explained how she depicted it from the female gaze:

I’d grown up on seeing male gaze [in cinema] — seeing sex from the male point of view — and I found myself thinking that I don’t even know what the female gaze is. You don’t just want to point the camera at tits. I had to think about what my own gaze was, which was interesting. So for that sequence, I actually drew on the fact that when I was 23, somebody took me to a club in Berlin through these dark corridors and into this room where people were just like walking toward one another and ripping one another’s clothes off and having sex. I thought that this is how it might feel for young Rhaenyra going into this place.

Reading this I was immediately hit by the fact that many of us have grown up with a male gaze of what situations like the brothel scene look like. Rhaenyra’s trip to Flea Bottom is different, because, as the director said, it’s not really focused on just showing nudity and sex, but rather examining how the young Targaryen is feeling while having this visceral experience for the first time.

Ultimately, the scene is a major turning point in Daemon and Rhaenyra’s relationship, and vital to the plot. Not only did it officially begin the turbulent romantic relationship between the two Targaryens, it also led to the princess's interaction with Criston Cole, and it started a mild scandal in Westeros.

Obviously, within the discourse surrounding “King of the Narrow Sea,” people still talked a lot about seeing so many naked actors in that scene having sex. Also, Milly Alcock said shooting it wasn’t easy, and some extras had to look like they were “69ing for 12 hours” while they got the shot. However, overall, the sequence is vital, really nothing new for viewers who have seen all the brothel scenes between HOTD and GOT, and it provides a new perspective on these kinds of situations.

While these sequences are important to the plot, they are still difficult to shoot and watch. Along with this highly talked about brothel scene, Matt Smith has opened up about questing the sex scenes in the GOT spinoff. He’s also spoken about HOTD simply being a lot to film. Although it sounds like a lot of thought and time goes into making sure these scenes serve a purpose, so that the story is always meaningfully moving forward and these challenging scenes aren't there for nothing.

I’m sure we’ll be getting more scenes with the female gaze in mind when Season 2 of House of the Dragon comes out. The second installment is currently in production, and Kilner is set to direct more episodes. While I’m sure we’ll get more scenes like the brothel one in the upcoming season, with this director back in her chair, I’d imagine the same kind of thought and care will go into them.

At the moment, we don’t know when HOTD Season 2 will come out, but in the meantime, you can stream Season 1 of House of the Dragon as well as all of Game of Thrones with a Max subscription.

Adam Driver Isn’t Playing Reed Richards, But New Fantastic Four Rumor Claims Another A+ Talent Might

Corey Chichizola — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:23:56 +0000

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, both on the small and silver screens. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four, which will finally bring the titular team of heroes into the shared universe. Fans have been wondering who might play the four superheroes, and the casting process is seemingly ongoing. And while Adam Driver reportedly isn’t playing Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic, a new rumor claims another A+ talent might.

When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties, it finally opened the door for characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four to join the MCU. There has been plenty of chatter online about which actors will make up the latter team, and Kevin Feige has stressed they’ll be an important part of the shared universe. It was reported that Adam Driver was offered the role of Reed Richards but passed on the opportunity. Now Comic Book Movie is claiming that The Crown’s Matt Smith has been offered the role.

Since this hasn’t been confirmed by the studio or Smith’s reps, we should probably take this rumor with a grain of salt for the time being. Still, it would make sense that Shakman and Marvel Studios would be looking for a major name to occupy the role of Mr. Fantastic. And Matt Smith has a long career and experience in genre work like Doctor Who, House of the Dragon, and Venom 2.

From all reports it seems like Marvel is focused on finding the right quartet of actors to bring Fantastic Four to life on the big screen. It was previously reported that the studio was focusing on finding Sue Storm and then building the rest of the cast around her. One contender online for that role is Vanessa Kirby, who expressed her interest in becoming the Invisible Woman. But perhaps Reed Richards will be the first member of the team that’s cast after all.

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The conversations online about the MCU’s Mr. Fantastic have been ongoing for years already at this point. The most popular fan choice was John Krasinski, with some even hoping he starred alongside his wife Emily Blunt. The chatter got so loud that the Office alum played Reed Richards in a small but memorable role in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But given the various casting rumors, it doesn't seem like Krasinski will be reprising that role in a significant way. We’ll just have to see if Matt Smith ends up being the lucky one.

As previously mentioned, Smith has done plenty of genre work, so he seems like a great choice to play Reed Richards. Although his ongoing role as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon has the potential to make scheduling Marvel projects quite complicated. We’ll just have to wait and see if this rumor shakes out.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

House Of The Dragon's Matt Smith And Emma D'Arcy Explain Why It Was Important To Bring The 'Ick Factor' To Their Characters’ Relationship

Corey Chichizola — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:59:02 +0000

Following the controversial final season of Game of Thrones, generation of fans were brought back to Westeros thanks to HBO’s prequel series House of the Dragon, which is also available with a Max subscription. The show puts the ill-fated Targaryen family front and center, including their penchant for incest. HOTD’s Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy recently explained why it was important to bring the “ick factor” to their characters’ relationship. Spoiler alert: they succeeded throughout Season 1.

Westeros is a brutal place, and its morals are often foreign to audiences watching from the real world. Marriage is an important political tool, one that is used in Season 1 when Rhaenyra weds and has children with her uncle Daemon Targaryen. The actors behind this relationship spoke to Deadline about their process, and D’Arcy got real about how they played up the “ick” feeling related to the incest storyline. In their words:

If we’re going to show this relationship and we’re going to do the whole thing justice, the ick factor has to be present because that’s honest. It can be sexy, and you’ve got to keep the ick in the room because that’s honest.

There you have it. Stepping into the Game of Thrones universe was likely a daunting task for the cast of House of the Dragon– especially when bringing some of the more controversial plot lines to life. And for Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith, that included the complicated relationship that Daemon and Rhaenyra share.

Watching these two Targaryens flirt was definitely uncomfortable for HOTD fans, especially when Rhaenyra was still a teenager. But they’re known for keeping things in the family, including Dany and Jon’s relationship in GOT. Later in that same interview, Matt Smith addressed the incest of it all, saying:

Obviously we’re dealing with events that are hundreds of years old and the morality was different then. But ultimately, it’s important to the story. So, therefore, Daemon and Rhaenyra do their thing.

Watching Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship play out was definitely a fascinating plot line throughout House of the Dragon Season 1. Their marriage is a complicated one, and it should be fascinating to see how the relationship changes after the events of HOTD’s Season 1 finale. The death of Luke, however accidental, is expected to inspire all-out war between the Black and Greens of Westeros. And since both sides have dragons, it sounds like it’s going to be a destructive conflict.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon is underway, despite the WGA strike that’s shutting down so many other productions. Fans are eager to see more chaos, and where the various dragons of Westeros end up. We’ll just have to wait and see when the show returns to the small screen.

House of the Dragon is currently streaming in its entirety on Max. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

House Of The Dragon Just Announced Which Characters Will Be Returning For Season 2

Riley Utley — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:03:56 +0000

Updated with video.

All eyes were on House of the Dragon and it's cast of characters during its first season as we flew back into the world of Westeros. Now, Season 2 has officially started production, and with that news came the reveal of all the returning cast members from Season 1 of the Game of Thrones spinoff. While many of the returning HOTD cast members were expected, there is one face that’s quite surprising. While overall this list helps us clarify who the players will be in the battle for the Iron Throne.

(Image credit: HBO)

Who Is Returning To House Of The Dragon?

Overall, there is still a lot to be learned about Season 2 of House of the Dragon, however, the confirmed returning cast clarifies who will be involved in the next installment of the hit fantasy series. According to HBO the full list of returning cast members includes:

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen
Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys 'Jace' Velaryon
Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen
Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen
Phia Saban as Princess Helaena Targaryen
Jefferson Hall as Tyland Lannister
Matthew Needham as Larys Strong

All of these returning cast members were largely expected. From the jump, it was obvious that Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans would be returning as the feuding Blacks and Greens. I also suspected that their supporting cast, which includes and Velaryon family as well as the women’s multiple children would all return too.

Outside the Targaryen family, there are also some notable cast members reprising their roles with Fabien Frankel coming back as Alicent’s right-hand man Criston Cole and the Queen’s creepy advisor Larys Strong, who is played by Matthew Needham, returning. I’d also assume that both these actors will play bigger roles in Season 2, based on how their stories evolved over the final episodes. However, the biggest surprise on this list is the news that Sonoya Mizuno will reprise her role as the mysterious Mysaria, considering her fate was unknown at the end of the season.

(Image credit: HBO)

Why Is It So Important They Confirmed Sonoya Mizuno’s Return As Mysaria?

Throughout Season 1 of the HBO series, Mysaria evolved into a major power player, and then there was a fire that alluded to her death. One of our biggest questions coming out of HOTD's finale was about the White Worm, and if she was gone. This cast announcement proves she’s still around, and survived that fire.

Over the course of Season 1, we slowly learned about Mysaria’s power, and how she fits into this game for the throne. She has a big network of spies and was privy to information that could completely change the power dynamics in King’s Landing.

By Episode 4 of House of the Dragon, we knew that this character could not be trusted as she went on to make deals with Daemon, Otto and more throughout the season. This changing of alliances proved that the White Worm was not on anyone’s side, she was there to help out the highest bidder.

So, as the politicking continues, and the Targaryen family deals with the fallout of Rhaenyra’s son Luke dying at the hands of Aemond Targaryen and his dragon, we now know that Maysaria will also still be in the picture.

Plot details are still unknown about Season 2 of House of the Dragon, however, we do know some logistics, like the season will be shorter than the first and it will likely come out in 2024. Now, we can also add a lengthy list of actors into the mix as they make their way back to Westeros for another installment. While we wait for more information about HOTD, be sure to check out Season 1 with an HBO Max subscription to refresh your memory about how Mysaria fits into the show's big picture and cast.

Daemon Targaryen Is The Internet’s Boyfriend, And A House Of The Dragon Producer Is ‘Baffled’ By How Much Fans Love Him

Riley Utley — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:45:42 +0000

The internet really loves Daemon Targaryen. After every episode of the fall TV schedule’s popular show House of the Dragon, you are bound to find many thirst tweets about the prince of Westeros. However, all this adoration for Daemon has one of the producers of the show “baffled” because of how terrible he is in every sense of the word.

I think a big reason people love Daemon so much is that he is played by the incredibly charismatic and ever-charming Matt Smith. Fans will post about their love for the character every week despite his crimes against humanity. However, Sara Hess, one of the producers on HOTD, noted just how bad the character’s crimes are and addressed fans' love for the prince with THR, saying:

He’s become Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me. Not that Matt isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s incredible in the role. But Daemon himself is … I don’t want him to be my boyfriend! I’m a little baffled how they’re all, ‘Oh, daddy!’ And I’m just like: ‘Really?’ How — in what way — was he a good partner, father or brother – to anybody? You got me. He ain’t Paul Rudd.

I mean, she has a good point, Paul Rudd is the sexiest man alive, and a good person. Daemon might be sexy, but his absolutely, 100% not a good person. However, Smith manages to make you like this despicable prince. I know I’ve found myself swooning over Daemon from time to time only to talk myself back to reality to realize how terrible he is – I mean incest, murder, anger management issues, that’s only the beginning of the problems – and remember just how much of a walking red flag he truly is. But sometimes him leaning against a wall, or occasionally showing compassion to his family will get the best of you.

While Hess can’t get on the Daemon bandwagon, Clare Kilner, the director of Episode 9, kind of understands the frenzy of fans surrounding the prince. She said:

I just love the fact people are so involved with these characters, and I think that’s part of the fun of it. One minute you like someone, and the next minute you like someone else. But I’m not surprised. Matt is such a risk-taker in his performances and he’s got that little smile and, you know … you can’t help it! He is charismatic. People love a baddie. But I don’t think he’s particularly a good father or a good brother.

She’s right, people do love a baddie. However, there are plenty of other characters Matt Smith has played who aren’t nearly as devilish as Daemon and are still swoon-worthy. Also, just Smith himself is the most adorable, charming human; I mean did you see him do the weather on the Today Show? So, if you are like me and love Matt Smith maybe it's best to crush on him or one of his other characters rather than Daemon on House of the Dragon.

With the finale of House of the Dragon next week I’m curious to see if Daemon will add to his despicable deeds or find some sort of redemption (but I highly doubt it'll be redemption). One thing I am sure of though is even when he commits his worst crimes there will still be people on the internet who absolutely adore Daemon Targaryen. You can watch the Season 1 finale of HOTD on HBO Sunday at 9 p.m. ET or with an HBO Max subscription.

From Doctor Who To House Of The Dragon's Daemon: Ranking Matt Smith’s Best-Known Characters, From Delightful To Devilish

Riley Utley — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 21:10:50 +0000

Ever since Matt Smith flew into the zeitgeist as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, viewers have been captivated by the actor. Like many performers, Smith has taken a myriad of roles and played a range of characters from despicable to delightful. In light of his most recent character, House of the Dragon's Daemon, who is maybe the most ethically ambiguous he’s played, I thought it’d be interesting to rank Smith’s best-known characters, from delightful to devilish.

So, here we go:

(Image credit: BBC)

The Doctor - Doctor Who

Ranking: Delightful, he literally saves the universe all the time

Most people saw Matt Smith for the first time when he showed up as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who. He crash-landed the TARDIS, and when he popped his head out the door, we met the goofy, mostly carefree, optimistic, fez-loving, bow tie-wearing doctor. All the Doctors are good beings and overall fun characters, but I’m of the opinion that Smith’s take on the Time Lord is the most delightful. Across some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, you will find that two-hearted alien from Gallifrey cares deeply about all and is always working to make the universe a better place, with the added bonus of some great jokes every now and then.

(Image credit: IFC Films)

Martin Bright - Official Secrets

Ranking: Well-intentioned and overall good person

Official Secrets is a movie that tells the true story of Katharine Gun, a British whistleblower who leaked information about an illegal operation to get the UN security council to approve the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Smith plays journalist Martin Bright, who receives the memo that was leaked and runs the story. He’s a responsible journalist who was dealing with a really tricky story, and overall I think he handled it well. Bright is a good guy who is driven by good motives.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Prince Philip - The Crown

Ranking: It’s the patriarchy, you know?

Overall, Philip is not a bad human. The prince is devoted to his wife, the queen; however, he does struggle with accepting his place behind the queen rather than in front. It’s a typical male privilege problem. He can be rigid at times, and The Crown hints that he may have committed an act of marital infidelity. In conclusion, Prince Philip is not a terrible person, but he is flawed.

(Image credit: Sony)

Parson Collins - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Ranking: Your funky cousin who is annoying, but can do no harm

No person who says “Oh fuddle” unironically is a totally bad human. In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Smith plays Parson Collins, the cousin of the Bennet family who is unhelpful in battle and an enthusiastic dancer. He makes the ladies carry all the guns, he’s terribly clumsy and is not built to thrive in the apocalypse. Collins is a goofy character who is not bad-intentioned, but he is an odd fellow who is quite selfish.

(Image credit: Focus Features)

Jack - Last Night in Soho

Ranking: He’s the reason women should not walk home alone at night

When we meet Jack, he seems nice, as he dances with Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) and woos her at the nightclub. But then the nightmare begins, and Jack ends up being Sandie’s pimp and uses her to make money. This man is the person mothers warn their daughters about, and he is the reason a lot of us women walk home at night scared. To be in an abusive relationship is terrifying, and to have someone use you like Jack uses Sandie is horrific. By the end of Last Night in Soho, we really see the toxic impact Jack had on the women in the film.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Milo - Morbius

Ranking: Bloodlust and greed will really drive a guy mad

We see Milo go from Morbius' friend to a greedy vampire in Morbius. The two meet and become surrogate brothers, and they bond over the fact that they both have the same blood disease. Eventually both of them become vampires. However, while Morbius is trying to not give into the bloodlust, Milo can’t resist. Based on the dance scene alone, it’s giving Bully Maguire energy from Spider-Man 3, and I feel like that comparison encapsulates the badness of Milo. He’s a bad dude who is overtaken by power and greed, which is a fairly typical villain origin story.

(Image credit: HBO )

Daemon Targaryen - House of the Dragon

Ranking: Devil with funky ethics

You know, I was positive Daemon Targaryen would be at the bottom of this list. When I started House of the Dragon, I needed to watch Doctor Who to cleanse my soul after watching Daemon brutally murder many innocent people in King’s Landing. However, Smith justified the prince’s violent actions by saying he has his reasons and cares about his family. Then in Episode 8, we got a glimpse of Daemon’s good side, and fans were so touched by his heartfelt actions. Daemon is an enigma: while overall, he’s a bad dude, he has his moments which is why he’s not at the bottom of the list. However, we also can’t excuse the number of brutal murders he’s committed and how unbothered he is by said crimes.

(Image credit: Paramount)

Alex - Terminator Genisys

Ranking: Evil, murderous hologram

Smith’s character in Terminator Genisys, Alex, the human embodiment of Skynet, causes a lot (and I mean a lot) of trouble. He really shows just how scary artificial intelligence could be, and how much destruction it can cause. Seeing that this guy's (or better yet, gram’s) goal is to destroy the human race, I’d say that makes him a pretty bad dude.

(Image credit: IFC Films)

Charles Manson - Charlie Says

Ranking: A real-life cult leader and murderer, therefore the worst

Charlie Says follows the story of Karlene Faith as she works with three women from the Manson family to help them realize the crimes they committed, and what they went through when they were with Charles Manson. Smith plays Manson, who was a terrible, real and scary human. The fact that this actually happened scares me so much, and that is why this character is at the bottom of this list. The movie follows the women who were involved in the Tate and LaBianca murders. It shows Manson as a cult leader who brainwashed these women, was responsible for various murders, and tried to start a race war that he called “Helter Skelter.” So yes, this is Smith's most wicked role.

Well, there you have it. Matt Smith’s characters ranked from best human to worst human (and in some cases, alien or AI). Since his breakout in Doctor Who, the actor has played a diverse set of roles, tending to lean toward the more evil side of things. However, it’s always nice when he can be the hero of the story from time to time. Overall, Smith commits to all his roles and will have you captivated, whether he’s a good, bad or ethically questionable character.

Fans Were Touched By Daemon’s Kind Gesture On House Of The Dragon, Turns Out Matt Smith Improvised It

Riley Utley — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 19:37:12 +0000

Spoilers for Episode 8 of House of the Dragon ahead, read with caution.

Episode 8 of House of the Dragon was tragic. Since the beginning of the show we’ve been seeing the decline of King Viserys’ health, and it’s gotten so bad in the last few episodes it seemed like he could die at any moment. Well, he did die at the end of the latest episode, and watching the king struggle to function was terribly sad, especially as he tried to walk up to the Iron Throne. It was at this moment that we saw Viserys’ brother Daemon have a moment of kindness as he helped his brother get up to the throne. Following that moment it was revealed that Matt Smith actually improvised it, and fans were loving the prince even more after this rare act of kindness from the prince.

To add some more detail to the scene, the king struggles to get up the stairs to the throne, and when his crown falls off his head, his brother comes to help him get his crown and sit on the throne. It was a rare sight of sympathy from Daemon, and it turns out it was Matt Smith’s idea to pick up the crown.

It Turns Out Matt Smith Improvised Daemon’s Actions After An Accident During Rehearsal

Even though Daemon is brutal, I mean he literally chopped Vaemond Velaryon’s head in half, it’s clear that he cares a lot for Rhaenyra and his brother Viserys. In an interview with EW Geeta Patel, the director of the episode, explained that this scene between the two brothers with the crown was not in the script, it was an accident during rehearsal that led Smith to improvise.

When we were shooting that — I think the rehearsal again, the first day — the crown fell off of Paddy's head and Matt picked it up and we just kept going. We didn't stop [filming]. There was a discovery there of this moment. So then the three of us got together and they were like, ‘We felt this. This felt like the turning point in our relationship.’ It's just a silent moment.

It really is a beautiful and touching moment. Especially since Daemon seemed to resent his brother for a good bit of the season. Smith has explained that you never really know if Daemon is “in pursuit of good things” or trying to “cause chaos,” or as if it’s a “bit of both.” In this throne room scene we saw both sides, and with the king a true moment of good, as Patel explained:

I was so thankful that accident happened, that the crown fell off because it proved to be, at least for me, quite a heavy moment and quite a turning point for a storyline that had started in the pilot: Hey, I want your crown and by the end here I'm gonna put the crown back on your head and I'm gonna help you to your throne.

This moment of care was felt by the fans, who had some amazing reactions to Daemon and Viserys’ scene.

Fans Were So Touched By Daemon’s Kind Actions Toward His Brother

While a lot of the social media conversation surrounding Episode 8 was about Viserys’ eye situation, and Daemon's not-so-kind moment with Vaemond, many were also posting about the kinder moment. Especially once they learned it was Smith’s idea, like this viewer:

I’m really glad that crown fell off his head in rehearsal. Matt Smith created one of the most touching moments in, imo, the got and hotd universe. Daemon wasn’t going to allow his brother to struggle anymore. He loves him so much 😭#houseofthedragon pic.twitter.com/uKK0sxN9XAOctober 10, 2022

Another fan took note of all of Daemon’s big moments in the episode, and I couldn’t agree more. Daemon is “THE moment.”

Daemon getting 3 dragon eggs for his 3 children, on his own.Daemon wanted Viserys to affirm Luke as the heir to Driftmark.Daemon helped his brother and put the crown back on him.Daemon k!lled who dares to call his wife a wh0re.He is THE moment.#HouseOfTheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/1kOaGnTXtCOctober 10, 2022

I think this fan encapsulated a lot of our feelings when Daemon picked up the crown to put it back on his brother’s head:

when daemon helped viserys to the throne and put his crown on#HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/OuKzRF6EeXOctober 10, 2022

Just to make you even more emotional over this whole situation, this fan pointed out that this was the brothers' last moment together, and could be Viserys’ last memory of Daemon.

Daemon helping Viserys to his throne and crowning him. And this will be their last memory together. I'm so emotional!#HouseOfTheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/o94H5wGzQkOctober 10, 2022

Meanwhile, this fan created a great meme, that’s also kind of wholesome. I think the single tear is something just about everyone watching could relate to.

daemon to viserys #HouseOfTheDragon #hotd pic.twitter.com/HNb0w2p14rOctober 10, 2022

To close it out, this fan pointed out that Daemon was one of the only characters who wasn’t completely focused on politics in this episode. He showed his care for his brother and wife, rather than acting out of a need for power.

Out of all the people only Daemon cared for his brother while the others were playing their politics Daemon saw his brother in pain.#HouseOfTheDragon #DaemonTargaryen pic.twitter.com/QUycWtH0QgOctober 10, 2022

I’m curious to see what Daemon does in the last few episodes of House of the Dragon. He’s for sure one of the more unpredictable characters on the show. Even though he’s brutal and devious, it’s clear he still cares for his family.

According to the Fall TV schedule, we are nearing the end of Season 1 of HOTD and it will be curious to see what Daemon does next. To watch the rest of the Targaryen family drama unfold you can tune into House of the Dragon every Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO or with an HBO Max subscription.

The House Of The Dragon Cast Opens Up About Riding ‘The Dragons’ On Set, And It Sounds Totally Unglamorous

Riley Utley — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 21:16:00 +0000

On House of the Dragon, it's not easy task for anyone, including members of the Targaryen family tree, to ride a dragon. They are uncontrollable, yet loyal creatures who can destroy anything in front of them when its rider says “dracarys.” While they are dangerous yet elegant creatures in the fictional world of Westeros, in real life dragons don’t exist, the cast has to ride a machine. Now, the HOTD cast has opened up about the process of filming the scenes with dragons, and it sounds pretty unglamorous.

The show is not easy to film. In the HOTD's first episode, we saw the brutal birth scene as well as Daemon and the king's guard torturing people in King’s Landing. Then later in the season, there was a scene in a brothel where the extras were “69ing for 12 hours,” according to Milly Alcock. None of these scenes can be easy to film, and the stars have opened up about how difficult some of them can be. However, another difficult aspect of playing these characters must be having to play pretend on a machine that will eventually look like a dragon. Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen, explained in an interview with BBC his frustration over the dragons in a funny way, saying:

The bucking bronco… they’re firing like wind and rain at you. And you got a blonde wig. And you’re in armor. And you’ve been up there for nine hours. And you’re like, ‘Get me down, I want a sandwich.’

Eve Best, who plays Rhaenys Targaryen, confirmed that they would be up on the rigs for full days. She was sitting in this interview with her on-screen husband Steve Toussaint, who plays Corlys Velaryon, who hilariously encouraged Best to impersonate the sound the dragon machine makes. She then did it, and noted how she was kind of disappointed by the sounds the dragons on set would make.

[makes a screeching noise] Because it makes noises! It makes a sort of noise. I thought, I was a little disappointed because it doesn’t actually look like a dragon. It’s a sort of stumpy thing. But then it does make these kind of amazing noises so you do get the dragon.

So, it’s on the record, from much of the cast, that filming these dragon scenes is not nearly as cool as it looks on screen. Between the mechanical noises, being up there all day, and as Milly Alcock said in the interview, having leaf blowers blown in your face, all of it doesn't sound too fun. However, it looks fantastic.

We’ve got some pretty epic dragon scenes so far on HOTD. From young Rhaenyra saying “dracarys” to her dragon for the first time to light her mother’s tomb on fire, to Daemon and Laena Velaryon flying their dragons together, there have been some extremely exciting moments on screen. Personally, I think knowing how much work they have to put in to pull this off makes it even cooler.

To see more dragons and family drama on House of the Dragon, you can watch the newest episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO or with an HBO Max subscription.

Matt Smith Did The Weather Forecast With Al Roker While Promoting House Of The Dragon (But I Can't Stop Staring At His Shirt)

Riley Utley — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 21:33:44 +0000

When actors do promotion for a new project they typically stick to their talking points and stay wherever the producers tell them to sit. Well, House of the Dragon star Matt Smith and the hosts of Today had a different plan. He discussed his work on The Crown, his role in the Game of Thrones prequel, and his magnificent sense of style And that last point was especially appropriate because, during the chat, he was rocking an incredible black, purple and blue shirt. Then, he ended up becoming an impromptu anchor and weatherman on the morning newscast, and it was hilarious.

Among the House of the Dragon cast, Smith plays the maniacal, conniving, devious, corrupt Prince Daemon Targaryen. However, this appearance on The Today Show reminded me more of his days as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who – especially when he jaunted from his seat over to the weatherboard to do the day's forecast with Al Roker. Check it out:

Matt got a chance to test out some of his skills with @SavannahGuthrie, @hodakotb, and even gave out the weather with @alroker 😁 pic.twitter.com/ESYBOlMNIKSeptember 15, 2022

I feel like this could have been something that happened to The Doctor; it feels on brand that he would land the TARDIS accidentally at 30 Rock in the middle of a broadcast and pretend as though he worked there. The actor's charm and charisma during the weather report impressed Al Roker and the two other anchors, Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. Especially, since not long before he gave us all the day’s weather he had been explaining why he thought their jobs were so hard. Guthrie then told him:

We think you should work at the Today Show. You said what we do every day is bonkers.

To which the actor responded with:

I find this really hard that you can just read the sort of auto prompt and that you do this every morning. I think it’s quite mad.

They then convinced him to read the teleprompter, despite him saying he has bad eyes. He introduced Al Roker, who he called a “dude.” And then was told to go over to the weather screen, where he proceeded to explain the forecast across the U.S. Honestly, he killed it.

To further the Doctor comparison, Matt Smith was rocking a purple, blue and black loose-fitted button-down shirt that harkened back to his purple tweed jacket from his final season as the time-lord. Among some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, you can find Smith bouncing around the universe in his tweed jacket, bow tie and the occasional fez. While Matt Smith, the actor, may not wear suits all the time, he does have a stunning and unique sense of style.

(Image credit: BBC)

This humorous appearance on Today was a breath of fresh air and exemplifies what we've come to expect when Matt Smith appears on TV, especially if you are currently watching House of the Dragon. Even he has said filming the prequel can be a lot. For example, that brothel scene that involved him and Milly Alcock, who plays his niece Rhaenyra Targaryen, was a lot to film for the principal actors and the extras. (It was also a lot to watch as a viewer.)

You have to love seeing Matt Smith doing press because it reminds me what a fun-loving and goofy human he is. These appearances also are a chance for him to show off his wicked fashion sensibilities. It also reinforces how great he is at his job, because every time I watch a new episode of House of the Dragon, I forget about Smith and only see the prince of Westeros. You can see Smith transform into Daemon and stand alongside the rest of the Targaryen family in new episodes of HOTD every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO or you can watch with an HBO Max subscription after they premiere.

House Of The Dragon's Milly Alcock Talks Shooting That Brothel Scene, Says Some Extras Were '69ing For 12 Hours'

Riley Utley — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 17:40:23 +0000

Spoilers for Episode 4 of House of the Dragon ahead, you’ve been warned.

The two shows within the realm of Westeros, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, don’t hold anything back. From gore and violence to sex and nudity, viewers see it all, which obviously means the actors and the crew see it all, too, but for full days rather than an hour or two whenever a new episode drops. In episode 4 of House of the Dragon, we saw it all when Daemon Targaryen took his teenage niece Rhaenyra Targaryen to a brothel. Milly Alcock, who plays the princess and heir to the Iron Throne, talked about shooting that scene and just how long the extras had to look and act as though they were having sex.

The cast has so far been open about the rigorous nature of shooting such a high-profile, big-budget show, with Matt Smith saying it can be a lot to film sometimes, though he agrees with reflecting the sexual nature of the source material. Speaking of, Episode 4 tapped into that somewhat heavily, as Rhaenyra and Daemon's walk through a brothel showcased many nudity-friendly characters engaged in sexual pleasures. And it sounds like they were some of the hardest working actors on the set. As Alcock explained it to the New York Post:

There were extras who we had just met who were like, 69ing for 12 hours. It’s pretty gnarly. We felt pretty overdressed, because everyone else was nude.

So, yeah, when extras are “69ing for 12 hours” I’d assume all manner of things can get "pretty gnarly,” and it only gets more dubious when you consider the purpose of the scene. Such a sequence is not unusual in this world, as many a Game of Thrones info-dump took place in brothels. I have a feeling, though, that shooting something like this is not something one really ever gets used to, unless adult film acting is already one's day job. While the extras are going at it in the background all day, the two principal actors have to navigate some uncomfy story elements that involve them almost having sex, and then there is the incest of it all, which is also a more common than shocking situation for GoT lore.

Fans had a massive reaction to Rhaenyra’s scenes with Daemon during Episode 4, with some gushing over the relationship, some disgusted by it, and others tweeting with gusto about how this scene impacts the rest of the show. On top of the incest issue, I think the relationship is complex and seeded with corrupt intentions. This is especially true on Daemon’s side, making this scene a major turning point in the series.

Episode 4 was really firing on all cylinders when it came to sex scenes that likely made some viewers, and possibly the actors themselves, a little uncomfortable. The other big moment came with Queen Alicent had sex with her husband King Viserys, who is old enough to be her dad. Emily Carey, who plays young Alicent spoke about the age gap and shooting that scene. While it can be weird to shoot, she did talk about how having an intimacy coordinator was helpful and they made the scenes easier to shoot.

So while it can be weird and take a long time to shoot, and may require as much agility and saliva as a person can muster, the show has made an effort to keep everything professional and make the situations as comfortable as they can for the actors.

The first four episodes of House of the Dragon have not pulled any of their punches (both literally and figuratively) and I don’t expect them to in the coming episodes. It will be interesting to see how these romantic relationships develop throughout the series, but we’ll just have to wait until Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO (or for those with an HBO Max subscription) to see what happens next.

House Of The Dragon Was A LOT To Film, But Matt Smith Said One Funny Thing Kept Him Going On Set

Riley Utley — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 22:19:30 +0000

When an actor joins a project like HBO’s House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones, they have to have some idea of what they're in for. The gig includes brutal night shoots, tough weather, pretend flights on CGI dragons, intense stage fights and much, much more. While this can be taxing and tough on everyone, it would help immensely to work on a set that's fun. And Matt Smith, who plays the unpredictable and fiery Daemon Targaryen, shared a funny thing that was able to keep up good morale while shooting House of the Dragon.

Matt Smith, believe it or not, is one of the older stars in the House of the Dragon cast. Many of their co-stars are relatively young new actors, like Fabien Frankel, who plays Ser Criston Cole. Smith, the man who's brought the the Eleventh Doctor and Targaryen prince to life, explained to Insider that he would always get a good laugh out of Frankel and the difficulties he experienced with his knight’s costume:

But I'll say that the cast got together and there was a great sense of camaraderie. We laughed our asses off because you have to — even if it was just laughing at Fabian trying to sit down in the armor. That gave me such joy every day. Poor Fabian. Bless him. He was in the armor the whole time and that's not easy, but there were some wonderful big characters on that set.

I mean, can you blame any of them? Like Matt Smith, who has also taken a few turns wearing armor on the show, most would find it quite funny to see a young man in a cool knight costume struggling to accomplish simple tasks, like sitting. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Fabien Frankel to walk about wearing a heavy suit of armor all day, let alone trying to act like a 21st-century human in it while waiting for the next shot.

(Image credit: Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO)

Spoilers can be found in this paragraph! It brings me joy to know the cast was able to have fun on set. The scenes from the show can’t be easy to film because of how emotionally heavy and vicious they can be, not to mention the long hours. In the premiere alone, there were multiple scenes that surely made viewers squeamish. For example, there was the violent visceral scene at King’s Landing in which Daemon and his king's guard brutally punish peasants. In that same episode, viewers saw a very bloody and brutal birth scene, which became a topic of mass discussion amongst fans, with some comparing the birth scene to the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones.

Obviously, all the hard work and off-screen fun has paid off. The series has broken many records for HBO with just two episodes having and, as a result, the House of the Dragon Season 2 renewal has already come down the pipeline. While it may not look like the characters are having much fun in the episodes, it’s nice to know that actors like Matt Smith and Fabien Frankel have been able to joke around and find the silliness in trying to live modernly while sporting medieval costumes.

House of the Dragon airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and episodes can later be streamed with an HBO Max subscription.

House Of The Dragon's Matt Smith Explains How His Character Justifies His Actions In Violent, Visceral King’s Landing Scene

Riley Utley — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 13:19:58 +0000

This article is dark and full of spoilers. Be forewarned if you haven't seen the House of the Dragon premiere yet.

Game of Thrones has a reputation for its gory, violent and quite frankly terrifying scenes. The premiere of HBO’s newest show House of the Dragon lived up to its predecessor’s violent legacy. From a jousting tournament to the intense, bloody and brutal birth scene to the Gold Cloak's attack on King’s Landing, blood has been shed all over the place. And in two of these three instances, the blood was at the hands of Matt Smith’s character Daemon Targaryen.

In the premiere, Daemon leads the Gold Cloaks through King’s Landing to punish those who have committed crimes. However, that punishment is much, much worse than the crimes committed. They chop off the limbs of some and decapitate others for their wrongdoings. Dear viewer, we see it all, it’s scary, and gross, and in a modern court of law would not be justifiable to a reasonable person.

If you saw Episode 1, I'm sure this scene stuck out to you. However, believe it or not, Smith told the New York Times that Daemon has his own moral compass that justifies his actions.

He thinks he’s going out and purging the city of crime [laughs], albeit in a very nasty manner. But in his head, there is a degree of sense to it. I think. Or isn’t there? I don’t know. This is the great thing about Daemon: You just don’t know. Is he doing it in pursuit of good things? Is he doing it to cause chaos? It’s a bit of both, probably. It always is, and that’s so interesting about him.

Daemon Targaryen, prince of Westeros and brother to King Viserys Targaryen, will be the wild card moving through this first season of House of the Dragon. He makes erratic decisions and clearly cares most about himself and his own power. Yet, there are moments where his loyalty shines through, especially when it comes to his brother and niece. Smith said that his character genuinely believes that what he is doing is the right thing.

Also in the premiere of the show, Daemon is shown having sex in a brothel, and I doubt this will be the last time we see it because Matt Smith said he was questioning the sex scenes throughout Season 1. However, it is important to note that this show should be less triggering than Game of Thrones when it comes to how sex is shown. According to writer and executive producer Sara Hess there will be no sexual violence depicted on the show.

House of the Dragon has already made HBO history by bringing in the most viewers ever for an HBO premiere and things are just getting started. We better buckle up and hold on tight because Matt Smith has said this season could get chaotic, which should be taken seriously coming from one of the most chaotic characters on the show.

House of the Dragon Cast: Where You've Seen the Actors Before

Alexandra Ramos — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 00:00:05 +0000

When Game of Thrones came to an end in 2019, it was only a matter of time before spinoffs and prequels were built off of the highly successful series, because of its talented Game of Thrones cast and skillful story (at least until Season 8). And while a sequel series is actually in the works right now, the prequel, House of the Dragon, is coming out soon, featuring several never-before-seen key Targaryen figures.

With such a large ensemble - and I mean this list is huge - I’m sure that somehow, someway, you have seen the House of the Dragon cast before. For those who are wondering why these people look so familiar, here are some of their biggest shows and movies before joining the world of Westeros.

(Image credit: HBO)

Paddy Considine (King Viserys Targaryen)

First up, we have Paddy Considine, who portrays King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Considine has been around in Hollywood for many years and appeared in films such as A Room for Romeo Brass, Last Resort, In America, My Summer of Love, Doctor Sleep, 24 Hour Party People, Dead Man’s Shoes, and so many more.

Considine has also had success in television. His biggest roles thus far have been starring in the third season of Peaky Blinders, and roles in shows such as The Outsider, The Third Day, Red Riding, Informer, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, and more.

(Image credit: HBO)

Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen)

Next up, we have Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Arguably, Smith is most known for his role as The Doctor in Doctor Who, and has become one of the most beloved versions of the character in the series. Other people might know him for his portrayal of Prince Phillip in The Crown cast.

Aside from his famous television roles, Smith has appeared in many movies and other shows. Some of his biggest roles include starring in the Morbius cast, and he's also appeared in Womb, Terminator: Genisys, and the 2021 thriller, Last Night in Soho, along with many other movies. On television, he also had a role in the TV series, Party Animals.

(Image credit: HBO)

Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower)

Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, and she’s appeared in plenty of movies and TV shows prior to her role in the HBO series. Cooke had a main role in the horror TV show, Bates Motel (which is almost more disturbing than Psycho, which it’s based on), as well as in the miniseries, Vanity Fair. She also had a role in one of the episodes of Modern Love.

In terms of movies, Cooke has starred in several, including the horror film, Ouija, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Limehouse Golem, Thoroughbreds, Ready Player One, Sound of Metal, and so many others.

(Image credit: HBO)

Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen)

While I personally don’t think anyone is going to quite beat Daenerys Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen is pretty close, and she is played by Emma D’Arcy in House of the Dragon. D’Arcy is still just getting started with her movie and television career, but has appeared in movies such as Misbehavior and Mothering Sunday.

She also appeared as part of the main cast of the TV shows Wanderlust, Wild Bill, Hanna, and Truth Seekers.

(Image credit: HBO)

Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake”)

Next up on the least, we have Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon, otherwise known as The Sea Snake in House of the Dragon. In terms of films, Toussaint has been in plenty, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Judge Dredd, Shooting Dogs, and Flight of Fury, among others.

Toussaint has also appeared in many TV shows in both major and minor roles. These include, but aren’t limited to Doctors, CSI: Miami, New Tricks, the teen drama, Skins, Line of Duty, Lewis, the miniseries Tut, Death in Paradise, and many others.

(Image credit: HBO)

Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Targaryen)

We have another Targaryen here. Portraying Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon is Eve Best, who has had plenty of time in the business appearing in both film and TV. Some of her most prominent film roles include those in the Academy Award-winning film, The King’s Speech, Someone You Love, United, and A Woman of No Importance.

Best has also had a good amount of success in television, too, having a main role in the TV series, Nurse Jackie, and a main role in the Netflix original series, Fate: The Winx Saga. She’s also had parts in several other TV shows, like The Shadow Line, The Honorable Woman, and more.

(Image credit: HBO)

Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole)

Next up, we have Ser Criston Cole, who is portrayed by Fabien Frankel in House of the Dragon. Frankel is relatively new to the business, as his only film credit thus far has been in the holiday movie, Last Christmas (which, funnily enough, starred Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys in Game of Thrones).

Frankel has appeared in a number of things on TV, including the TV series The Serpent, and the TV film, NYPD Blue, but his role in House of the Dragon will be one of his biggest roles yet.

(Image credit: HBO)

Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria)

Playing Mysaria in House of the Dragon is Sonoya Mizuno, who has appeared in plenty of amazing shows and movies before. She’s starred in films such as Ex Machina and the sci-fi flick, Annihilation. She also had smaller roles in the musical films La La Land and Beauty and the Beast, as well as the amazing romantic comedy, Crazy Rich Asians.

Mizuno has also had success in TV, having main parts in two miniseries - the Netflix original, Maniac, and the Hulu original, Devs, which starred Nick Offerman.

(Image credit: HBO)

Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower)

Otto Hightower is played by Rhys Ifans, who has had so much success in both movies and television. I personally know him as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (as I adore the Harry Potter series), but Ifans has done so much in movies. Some of his biggest roles are in Notting Hill, Enduring Love, Kev & Perry Go Large, The King’s Man, The Five-Year Engagement, and other films.

Ifans also starred as The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, and reprised the villain in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Ifans has done plenty of television as well, starring in shows such as Elementary and Berlin Station, as well as Sali Mali, where he was the narrator. He was also a part of the Season 2 cast of Temple.

(Image credit: HBO)

Milly Alcock (Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen)

While we already went over the older Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, we’re going to look at the younger version of her now in House of the Dragon, portrayed by Milly Alcock. The young actress has only appeared in one movie so far, called The School, but she’s made her name in television.

These shows include, but are not limited to, parts in Pine Gap, Fighting Season, A Place to Call Home, Upright, Reckoning, and The Gloaming. I can only imagine what she’ll do next.

(Image credit: HBO)

Emily Carey (Young Alicent Hightower)

We covered older Alicent, now let’s move onto younger Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, played by Emily Carey. She’s appeared in several films, and played a young Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. She was also Anastasia in Anastasia: Once Upon a Time, and the young version of Wendy Darling in The Lost Girls.

Her biggest role in television was playing Grace Beauchamp on the British drama series, Casualty, but she's also appeared in the Netflix series, Get Even, as well as Houdini and Doyle.

(Image credit: HBO)

Sian Brooke (Aemma Targaryen)

You thought we were done with Targaryens? Ha, that’s a laugh. Check out three more, starting off with Aemma Targaryen, who is played by Sian Brooke in House of the Dragon. Brooke has made a name for herself in television, appearing in many main and recurring roles in shows.

Some of her biggest have been playing Eurus Holmes in Sherlock (alongside star Benedict Cumberbatch), Doctor Foster, The Terror, the miniseries Not Safe For Work, the TV shows Cape Wrath, Dinotopia, All About George, and many, many others. She most recently appeared in Trying and the miniseries No Return, both in 2022.

Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen)

Phoebe Campbell plays Rhaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Campbell is pretty new to the industry. She hasn’t appeared in any movies yet, but did have minor guest roles in shows like The Last Dragonslayer and Midsomer Murders. It’ll be exciting to see her on a show as big as this.

Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen)

Baela Targaryen is portrayed by Bethany Antonia in House of the Dragon. She’s appeared in films such as Pin Cushion and There’s Always Hope, and had roles in shows such as the Get Even TV series on Netflix, and two miniseries, Stay Close and Nolly.

Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon)

Last but not least, we have Jacaerys Velaryon, who is portrayed by Harry Collett in House of the Dragon. He’s had parts in movies such as Ethel & Ernest (which was a voice role), Dead in a Week or Your Money Back, and Dolittle, and had a small role in Dunkirk.

He had a recurring role as Oliver Hide in Casualty, and a guest role on Galavant, as well as a voice role in The Hive.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of other faces in House of the Dragon, but these are the main cast members that I’m sure you’re going to be watching for ages on end, and I know I can’t wait to see what they do with this new HBO series, and what they accomplish in the future.

House Of The Dragon Reviews Are In, And Critics Do Not Agree About HBO’s Game Of Thrones Prequel

Heidi Venable — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:30:13 +0000

The Game of Thrones prequel series has been years in the making, and finally, the fanbase’s patience is paying off. House of the Dragon is set to premiere on August 21 for a 10-episode first season based on the George R. R. Martin novel Fire & Blood, which is set in the same universe as the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Critics have had the opportunity to screen the first six episodes of the series ahead of its release, and their opinions are all over the place (much like our staff’s reactions to the Game of Thrones series finale). Let’s take a look at the reviews to see what critics like and don’t like about HBO’s latest epic.

House of the Dragon boasts a stacked cast, including Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower. The series is set more than 100 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones and focuses on the history of House Targaryen, chronicling the beginning of the end of House Targaryen’s triumphant reign. You’ve waited long enough, so let’s see what the critics are saying:

Helen O’Hara of IGN rates the series premiere a “Great” 8 out of 10, saying it’s good to have new content from this universe, and House of the Dragon makes us feel like the good ole days of Game of Thrones are back, just now with more dragons. From the review:

House Of The Dragon’s premiere marks a strong, well-cast start to the Game Of Thrones spin-off. This feels very close to its predecessor in tone and content, but immediately establishes a struggle for power around an amiable, weak-willed king, and vivid new characters to fight those battles. We also have dragons, inbreeding, and resentment. It’s good to be back in backstabbing Westeros.

Alison Herman of The Ringer agrees, saying HBO’s bet on another blockbuster saga pays off. It’s not without its faults, but not to worry. This critic watched the first six episodes and feels confident enough to tell fans it’s OK to get excited. The review states:

Fire & Blood is written as a reference text, with minimal dialogue and conflicting points of view. What House of the Dragon does is turn entries in what amounts to an old-school Wikipedia into flawed, flesh-and-blood people. [Co-creator Ryan J. Condal] and his writers introduce changes that enhance the action, like making the teenage Rhaenyra and Alicent friends before tensions get in the way. They’re aided by a strong set of performances. [Paddy] Considine makes Viserys a master class in well-intentioned naivete, while [Matt] Smith gets to play a different, less duty-bound kind of royal. Thrones was largely about the failings and foibles of those in power. House of the Dragon operates in that tradition, steeping us in personal strife before it becomes political combat.

Stephen Kelly of BBC Culture says House of the Dragon has a tough task in overcoming the negative opinions Game of Thrones left its audience with. However, it must do the trick, as the critic rates the first episodes 4 stars out of 5 and calls the prequel “a darker, more solemn, more sophisticated” series than its predecessor. He says:

Much like Game of Thrones' early days, it starts out measured and relatively modest, taking time to build its characters, establish their quirks, their wants, their relationships, their conflicts. It gradually manoeuvres them into positions that suggest nothing but the most unavoidable bloodshed on the horizon. It's a rich, textured work, sharply written and handsomely directed, with a budget that far outstrips season one of Game of Thrones. There are lavish dragon sequences from the start, for instance, while it's notable that the third episode features an enormous celebratory hunt, full of sets and extras.

Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge agrees that this feels like it belongs in the Game of Thrones universe, but not in that good “nice to have you back” way of nostalgia. Rather, he says HBO seems desperate to recapture lightning in a bottle, feeding fans a hyper-violent fantasy tale they’ve all seen before. From the review:

House of the Dragon’s pacing means that big, dramatic twists of fate and moments of bombast are often given priority over the smaller, more intricate machinations for power that are some of the most memorable pieces of Martin’s prose. Were House of the Dragon’s characters an especially inspired cadre of fabulists and sociopaths, this wouldn’t be so much of an issue. But within the first episode or two, a surprising number of House of the Dragon’s power players are revealed to be so two-dimensional and narrow-sighted that it’s often difficult to believe them as the legendary figures of the past the show wants them to be.

Kelly Lawler of USA TODAY rates the first episodes 2 out of 4 stars, saying that HBO took a big risk, because while spinoffs tend to already be a tough sell for any series, being able to capture the same magic as the phenomenal OG series is a very tall order, and one that House of the Dragon does not succeed in filling. She says:

Unfortunately, phenomena are singular, and extraordinary difficult to achieve. Trying to recreate one leads to dull, cookie-cutter series like Dragon – something that smells and sounds and looks like Thrones, but lacks the substance of the original. For fans who love the world author George R.R. Martin created with his A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, it's a deep disappointment.

Darren Franich of EW falls somewhere in the middle with his critique. He grades the first episodes a B and says that the series starts out slow — with a textbook-like explanation of the Targaryen dynasty — but once it starts to find its footing, the story improves greatly. He lauds the performances of Milly Alcock, Matt Smith, and Paddy Considine but worries at the lack of breakout supporting characters. Overall the critic says:

The drama heightens when clear battle lines get drawn. The first introduction of the grown-up characters is flat-out stunning, establishing palpable and sorrowful consequences for earlier decisions. And the sheer number of childbirth scenes would be a running gag if the show didn't render them, with vivid detail, as a genuine medical horror. Dragon doesn't soar immediately, but no House was built in a day.

CinemaBlend's Laura Hurley also had the opportunity to check out House of the Dragon early, and shared her thoughts on the new show's beginning compared to that of Game of Thrones, more than a decade ago. She wrote:

House of the Dragon is a visually impressive and well-cast series that gets off to a start in the premiere with an intriguing premise that would be absolutely incredible by any metric other than comparison to the first episode of Game of Thrones. The budget is bigger and the effects are better than the early days of Thrones, but the first episode lacks the huge hook that we got with Jamie pushing Bran out of a window. It's worth watching and masterfully expands on the limited source material of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood as a fictional history book, but perhaps trying to leave the Game of Thrones comparisons out of the experience would be for the best.

The critics are split on how successful House of the Dragon’s first episodes are, but does this sound like a series you’re going to check out? If so, House of the Dragon is set to premiere at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, August 21 on HBO. The prequel series focusing on House Targaryen will also be streaming for anyone with an HBO Max subscription.

HBO's House Of The Dragon Hasn't Started Yet, But Star Matt Smith Already Knows How Things Could Get Truly Chaotic

Laura Hurley — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 19:40:55 +0000

House of the Dragon is on the way to show a whole new side of the Targaryen dynasty that was only mentioned and alluded to in Game of Thrones. There are Targaryens to spare in the upcoming spinoff, but that doesn't mean that the line of succession is going to be clear. King Viserys (Paddy Considine) is facing the choice between naming his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) or his younger brother Daemon (Matt Smith) as his heir to the Iron Throne. While viewers will have to tune in to see who has the better chances, Smith weighed in on what could bring some serious chaos when it comes to the succession.

Based on the trailer footage for House of the Dragon, Daemon believed himself to be King VIserys' heir because his brother's firstborn child was a girl, and no woman has sat the Iron Throne to this point. Readers of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood have some idea of the broad strokes of story on the way (and Martin had some key book details that he wanted included), but there are more questions than answers about Daemon vs. Rhaenyra on the show ahead of the premiere. Matt Smith shared his thoughts with CinemaBlend on how Daemon would rule:

I think it would be a pretty chaotic empire [laughs], but boy, it would be fun. Heads would roll. There's only two people that would get away with murder and that would be his brother and Rhaenyra. For the rest, I think everything is up for grabs. I think it would be pretty lawless, but you know, who knows? I think it would be a chaotic empire. Certainly. Great fun though.

Any viewers coming to House of the Dragon from Game of Thrones (which is available streaming with an HBO Max subscription) are used to more than a little chaos in the Seven Kingdoms, but perhaps not quite like what Matt Smith describes for his character as hypothetical king. Daemon doesn't sound like he has the Targaryen madness like Aerys will down the line, and arguably Viserys II (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). Just a taste for chaos!

All things considered, Daemon sounds like a pretty entertaining character, and one with a pretty solid claim to the throne based on how the line of succession has worked to this point in Westeros. Matt Smith mentioning Daemon's brother and Rhaenyra as the two people who would get away with murder suggests an interesting relationship with his niece, who is presumably his biggest rival for the Iron Throne. One thing that is guaranteed (courtesy of the actor) is that fans should expect some Daemon sex scenes, although not sexual violence like what happened relatively frequently on Game of Thrones.

Whether or not Daemon will become king and Matt Smith will play a Targaryen ruler remains to be seen, although Paddy Considine may not have been happy to let anybody else sit on the Iron Throne, based on some amusing comments from the cast about the "possessive" actor. There seem to be a lot of wild cards in addition to Daemon and Rhaenyra when it comes to the next ruler after King Viserys, including Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and wife Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). Speaking with CinemaBlend on the red carpet for the new show, Toussaint explained what sets House Velaryon apart from other houses that fans will know from Game of Thrones.

Luckily, the wait is nearly over for House of the Dragon and the debut of Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen beyond trailer footage. The Game of Thrones prequel premieres in the 2022 TV schedule on Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

Why House Of The Dragon's Matt Smith Had Questions About The Game Of Thrones Spinoff's Sex Scenes

Laura Hurley — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 01:35:47 +0000

Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith is coming back to television again for House of the Dragon, but Daemon Targaryen is definitely no Eleventh Doctor in the Game of Thrones spinoff. As the younger brother of the king and a potential claimant for Iron Throne over his niece, he’ll be a key figure in the conflict over the Targaryen succession. And, according to the actor, he’ll be involved in plenty of sex scenes, which he had some questions about.

Sex scenes were certainly to be expected after the precedent that Game of Thrones set. House of the Dragon isn’t doing everything the same way as the parent series, of course, as one writer already clarified that the spinoff isn’t going to show sexual violence. There will be plenty of sex, however, as Matt Smith told Rolling Stone UK:

You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’ 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.

Like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is based on the writing of George R.R. Martin, although not an ongoing novel saga like A Song of Ice and Fire. The new series is based on the fictional history book called Fire & Blood that chronicles the Targaryen dynasty, and doesn’t dive as deeply into relationships compared to the novels. Any sex scenes in House of the Dragon won’t be coming from page to screen.

Readers might be particularly happy to discover Matt Smith’s sentiments about the show staying true to the books, after Game of Thrones’ divisive final seasons outpaced the A Song of Ice and Fire source material before George R.R. Martin could finish The Winds of Winter. (Fans are still waiting on The Winds of Winter, to the point that Martin had to come out and defend the delay.) Smith did admit to the outlet that he hasn’t read Fire & Blood “in its entirety,” because it’s “a big fucking book.”

That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t read all the source material that he needs to in order to play Daemon Targaryen. Fire & Blood is a history of the entire first half of the 300-year Targaryen dynasty, and the era covered by House of the Dragon is only a portion of the book. So, Smith might have all the book knowledge he needs, and he even settled the question of whether his character has his share of sex scenes:

Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me.

Well, fans will need to prepare to see Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen in more than one kind of action, based on the actor’s comments combined with the intense full-length trailer! Even with the major conflict seemingly centered on the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon won’t be Game of Thrones 2.0. After all, there are legitimate Targaryens to spare at this point in the dynasty, and many dragonriders.

Dany could burn her way through the Seven Kingdoms to get to King’s Landing as the only person with dragons in the original show; that’s not the case for House of the Dragon, and it could well become one of HBO’s biggest hits since the original series ended back in 2019.

See Matt Smith’s debut as Daemon Targaryen with the series premiere of House of the Dragon on Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. If you want to revisit Westeros in the meantime, you can find all eight seasons of Game of Thrones streaming with an HBO Max subscription.

How Morbius' Matt Smith Feels About The Marvel Comic Book Movie Bombing

Adam Holmes — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 21:21:02 +0000

Matt Smith is an actor who knows his way around genre work, having played the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who and the T-5000 (the physical embodiment of Skynet) in Terminator Genisys, and he’ll soon be seen as Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. This year also marked Smith’s comic book movie debut, having starred in Morbius as Milo, the surrogate brother to Jared Leto’s Michael. However, the third entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe failed to impress critically and at the box office, and Smith has now shared his thoughts on the Marvel comic book movie bombing.

Following six months after the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which earned better critical reception than its predecessor and made over $506 million worldwide, Morbius, even after being released in theaters twice, only pulled in close to $164 million across the globe and ranks at a measly 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. But Matt Smith isn’t letting Morbius’ underwhelming performance bother him, telling Rolling Stone:

Yeah, it was thrown under the bus. But you just have to roll with it. What else are you gonna do? It’s a film, at the end of the day, we’re not saving lives. For whatever reason, it didn’t quite work out and… It is what it is.

Morbius saw Matt Smith filling the main antagonist role, with Milo, who shared the same blood illness as Michael, taking the same vampiric cure to eliminate his condition, despite warning him of the dangers. With Milo succumbing to his bloodlust, Jared Leto’s character was forced to kill his brother with an antibody that eliminated the vampirism. Cut to four months after its release, Morbius is now arguably more well-known for its memes (which Leto got in on) rather than its actual story, but Smith is ok with the movie simply not clicking with audiences. He carried out his acting duties and is content with Morbius simply being another movie on his resume.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe isn’t going anywhere, as Kraven the Hunter is coming out in January, and Madame Web, El Muerto and Venom 3 are on the way too. As far as Jared Leto’s Morbius the Living Vampire goes, the Morbius movie’s post-credits scene showed him meeting with Michael Keaton’s Vulture, who originated from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but was transported to the Sony universe as a result of the events in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Vulture proposed to Morbius that they form a team, which has since been confirmed to be the Sinister Six, but there’s still no word on where or when we’ll see these two again.

For now, you can see Matt Smith starring opposite actors like Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans when House of the Dragon premieres August 21 on HBO. Jared Leto can next be seen in the Haunted Mansion reboot, which is among the slotted 2023 movie releases.

The 10 Best Doctor Who Episodes, Ranked

mick.joest@CinemaBlend.com (Mick Joest) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 23:18:10 +0000

A new era has started in Doctor Who, or at least that’s how it feels. Russell T. Davies is back in the saddle and running the franchise once more, and we’re on the verge of a new era with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. With that said, it’s high time we look back at the beginning of this franchise’s reboot and talk about the best episodes we’ve seen of the modern era.

With the ability to watch Doctor Who on streaming, many fans around the world have an opinion on the top ten episodes of the reboot era. As we in the United States wait to watch the new season with our Disney+ subscription, here are some of my top picks for the best episodes over the years. These episodes are so good that you’ll want to watch them again and again without growing tired, especially when there’s a lull with no new episodes.

(Image credit: The BBC)

10. “The Giggle” 60th Anniversary Special, Part 3

Many expected big changes to Doctor Who when Russell T. Davies returned for his second stint, but I’m not sure any expected what he had in mind. Bringing back David Tennant to portray the Fourteenth Doctor was wild enough, but then to also introduce Neil Patrick Harris as the classic villain Toymaker? It created an adventure I imagine many will talk about for some time.

The bi-generation in which the Fourteenth Doctor split and remained alive while the Fifteenth Doctor emerged had huge consequences for the franchise at large. While it doesn’t seem like it’ll encourage David Tennant to do more adventures anytime soon, Russell T. Davies has said that in that moment every Doctor in history bi-generated. This would feasibly allow for other actors to return as The Doctor, without the show having to explain away their age. We’re still wrestling with what all that means for the franchise at large at present, but the implications are exciting.

(Image credit: BBC America)

9. "The Day Of The Doctor" 50th Anniversary Special

In "The Day Of The Doctor," a.k.a. the 50th anniversary special, David Tennant and Matt Smith's incarnations of the Doctor teamed up with John Hurt's recently-introduced War Doctor and took on the Zygons in a love letter to the franchise's entire history.

Stars from Doctor Who's past both distant and recent reprised their roles, or like former Doctor actor Tom Baker, played other roles entirely. All of that plus a collaborative effort between the Doctors' across all eras by using footage really make this an iconic episode, and one any fan should revisit at least once in their life. My one gripe would be that the series could've done a better job at the time of incorporating the anniversary within the main story, but I can deal given how big a celebration this was for the show.

(Image credit: BBC America )

8. "Vincent And The Doctor" Season 5, Episode 10

Doctor Who has its fair share of emotional episodes, though I'd say a vast majority of them work tears out of viewers by creating stories for its fictional characters. "Vincent And The Doctor" does something different, as The Doctor and Amy Pond went to visit a tortured and under-valued artist of his time, Vincent Van Gogh. The episode featured a great cameo from actor Bill Nighy, and an ending that was both heartwarming and devastating for the audience.

I'm of the personal opinion that if you don't get teary-eyed by the end of this one, there's nothing that will make you cry. This is an especially good episode for addressing that even though it seems Doctor Who very clearly changes the future, sometimes the future doesn't become the future we're familiar with until the adventure is over.

(Image credit: BBC America )

7. "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" Season 4, Episodes 12 and 13

This two-parter was the original mega-crossover of Doctor Who, and featured characters from the show's past, the Captain Jack spinoff Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It's all the greatest heroes of the franchise (including Doctor Donna) going head to head with Daleks in an adventure that finally resolved the tragedy of Rose and The Doctor.

It also had a real heartbreaking ending for Donna Noble, though one that was recently fixed following Catherine Tate’s return in the 60th anniversary. Fortunately, the heartbreaking twist of Doctor Donna forgetting about the Doctor and then remembering has only deepened the impact of the original story, and made this episode one of the most classic of the reboot era.

(Image credit: BBC America)

6. "Dalek" Season 1, Episode 6

The Daleks are the most feared enemy of The Doctor, but that was relatively new information to anyone who started Doctor Who at the reboot. "Dalek" did a great job of selling that point by turning the jovial Doctor into an unforgiving monster. He even tried to kill the Dalek at one point, which was pretty extreme for his character.

It's effective because it showed the audience just how evil the Dalek species is historically, even if the end does put that into question. In retrospect, this episode proved that while The Doctor does like to prioritize his message of peace, he is not above taking a villain down if it means he can protect the lives of many more by doing so.

(Image credit: BBC America )

5. "Listen" Season 8, Episode 4

Doctor Who doesn't do many horror episodes, but when it does it tends to get it right. Peter Capaldi's Doctor was left alone on Clara's date night with Danny, and in the process becomes convinced of a creature with the perfect ability to hide. For all the suspense and tension of the episode, the ending is actually really smart and surprising considering where one may expect a Doctor Who plot to go – which may be why it's so universally celebrated.

"Listen" actually became the first Doctor Who adventure to be nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, which is given to works that have been written to a superior horror standard. Past award recipients include Stephen King and Clive Barker, so I think that speaks enough to this episode's spook factor and its overall quality in comparison to the rest of the franchise.

(Image credit: BBC America )

4. "The Eleventh Hour" Season 5, Episode 1

The premiere of Matt Smith's Doctor was a memorable one, as he meets a young girl, and finds a mystery, but due to a time error doesn't revisit either until over a decade later. That girl is Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, who one could make a strong argument for as one of the best companions (with Gillan willing to return to play her companion at some point) of the modern Doctor Who era.

This is honestly one of the best debut episodes of any Doctor, and immediately showed audiences what Smith's Doctor would bring to the table. Mainly the general kookiness and supposed care-free attitude, and ability to go with the flow in the face of an unexpected situation. Smith's Doctor could often face a situation he was unprepared to much better than past incarnations, which is good because he seemed to have that happen quite often.

(Image credit: BBC America )

3. "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit" Season 2, Episodes 8 and 9

One can count on one hand the times that modern Doctor Who gave fans a story involving religion, and on one finger the amount of times Satan (or specifically a creature that might be Satan) has appeared. Though even The Doctor is never quite sure if he's in some form of hell, "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" two-parter remains a weird twist on everything Doctor Who has done before and ever since.

Perhaps it's that legacy that has made it a classic, or its use of the criminally underrated Ood species. The Ood have a somewhat aggressive role in this story, and it was effective enough that I regretted they weren't used for villainous means more often. I guess the fact that they were mainly docile is a nice subversion of expectation given their appearance, but it's hard to see them as anything but threatening after this episode.

(Image credit: BBC America )

2. "Silence In The Library"/"Forest Of The Dead" Season 4, Episode 8 and 9

It may seem controversial to some, but I believe that "Silence In The Library" and "Forest Of The Dead" represent the start of one of the best arcs Doctor Who has ever had: the story of The Doctor and River Song. All credit to Steven Moffat for the idea of introducing a love story that starts at the end for one character, and ends for the other character at the start.

This story only got better the longer it went, and is certainly worth a rewatch after Peter Capaldi's run. As much as I'd love to see River Song again (actress Alex Kingston would love to return, as well), I can't help but think that adding additional episodes beyond her last appearance as the character would soil the arc created.

(Image credit: BBC America)

1. "Blink" Season 3, Episode 10

Some choices on this top 10 list could be controversial, but I'm fairly certain this one isn't. "Blink" was a fantastic episode told in a unique way, and was an introduction to one of Doctor Who's most bizarre but frightening villains: the Weeping Angels. This was another instance where the series used horror to tremendous effect, and in the process, created the best episode in the franchise.

What's also great about this fan favorite is that it is another subversion of the classic Doctor Who episode structure. The Doctor's appearance comes mainly in the form of DVDs he recorded to be used specifically for this event, and while it seems bizarre and a bit silly, his banter and commentary on events he was only predicting at the time is so perfect.

The new era of Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+, with Season 14 expected to begin in May. Those wishing to check out many of the episodes on this list that happened before the 60th anniversary will need to head over to Max, which currently houses the vast majority of the reboot era of the series.

Up next: 2020 Summer TV Premiere Schedule: Full List Of Dates For TV And Streaming Shows