Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon looks set to propel former Doctor Who star Matt Smith to even greater heights, but there’s one aspect of the production that he wasn’t too fond of.
He plays Prince Daemon Targaryen in the much-anticipated new fantasy series, a member of the noble family who are known for their distinctive silvery white hair colour, which meant there were an abundance of wigs on set during filming.
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Smith revealed that they were actually quite the hassle, joking that he feels the Targaryens should consider shaking up their style.
When asked what his first decree as king would be, he answered: “I’d allow them to dye their hair. The wigs were a pain in the arse.”
In addition to Smith’s Prince Daemon, other members of the Targaryen clan that will appear include King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), who may well have suffered their own wig woes.
Speaking of wig woes, Doctor Who fans will remember that Matt Smith once shaved his head (for Ryan Gosling film Lost River) and then returned to the BBC sci-fi series with a totally bald dome, prompting the Beeb to make him a wig of his own hair (and resulting in the memorable on-screen moment below).
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Although Smith is arguably still best known for his turn as the Eleventh Doctor on the BBC’s long-running juggernaut Doctor Who, fans shouldn’t expect any similarities between the Time Lord and this new role in House of the Dragon.
“Once I played The Doctor I was actively looking to play something different,” Smith told crowds at San Diego Comic-Con, with Daemon following up roles in horror flick Last Night in Soho and superhero dud Morbius, both of which saw the actor show a darker side.
Teasing more about the show, Smith continued: “I hope me and Paddy found a lot of depth and richness in the work that we did… everything is about his brother, for Daemon.”
Check out the latest trailer for House of the Dragon below:
House of the Dragon premieres Monday 22nd August on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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