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Matt Smith has played a huge variety of roles in his career so far, from his debut as the 11th Doctor to his dancing villain in Morbius. And that’s not to mention his Emmy Award-nominated portrayal of Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crown. However, given the chance, Smith has divulged that he’d rather return to a completely different part entirely.
Ahead of his appearance as Prince Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, Total Film had the opportunity to quiz Smith on his career – and if there’s a character he’d love to reprise.
"Yeah, there is actually," he tells us. "There’s a part in a film called Lost River, which Ryan Gosling directed. It was a part called Bully and he was absolutely out of his box. I wore a gold sparkly jacket and a horseshoe here [points to his trousers]. And he used to go and cut people’s lips off. He was proper mad and I'd love to revisit him and shave my head again."
While Lost River might seem an offbeat choice for the star, Smith received acclaim for the 2014 thriller. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Gosling, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie also starred Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Ben Mendelsohn, and Eva Mendes so might be one to add to your watchlist…
And those familiar with their Game of Thrones mythology will know the role doesn’t sound too dissimilar from Smith’s House of the Dragon character either. Prince Daemon is the heir to the Iron Throne and has a definite unhinged streak in the fantasy show. Smith agrees with the comparison between the pair, adding: "Yeah, well he was right up there. He was as bad."
House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones, set 200 years before the events of the main series. It follows the Targaryens at the peak of their power before a civil war over the line of succession threatens to derail everything.
Smith stars opposite Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen in the HBO and Sky epic. Total Film recently spoke to the pair about their sibling rivalry in the show – as well as how they landed their parts. You can read more from our chat here.
House of the Dragon is available from August 21 on HBO in the US and exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW from August 22 in the UK.
