George R. R. Martin planned for at least 10 seasons of ‘Game of Thrones’
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Matt Smith questions the amount of sex scenes in ‘House of the Dragon’
The HBO revival of Game of Thrones has finally arrived on the small screen as House of the Dragon, a spin-off that sees fans return to the world of George R. R. Martin’s Westeros. Among the many actors heading up the cast, including Paddy Considine, Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans, it is Matt Smith who has shined in the first episode of the anticipated new series.
Playing Prince Daemon Targaryen, the wicked brother of King Viserys Targaryen (Considine), Smith shows off his acting chops, playing up to the camera a little as he plays his maniacal villain. Better known for his time as the 11th time lord in BBC’s Doctor Who and for playing Prince Phillip in the successful Netflix series The Crown, Smith has grown in prominence in recent years after decades on the small screen.
Having only appeared in a few roles before he stepped into the Doctor’s TARDIS, Smith played the part of the time lord for three series, from 2010-2014, but didn’t find it easy to find major roles after this. Only ever taking bit-parts, Smith starred in Ryan Gosling’s Lost River and Terminator Genisys in 2015, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho in 2021 and, most recently, the poorly-received superhero flick, Morbius.
Those difficult times may be up for Smith, however, with his role in the HBO fantasy series taking him to new heights of popularity.
Questioned about his House of the Dragon character in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Smith was asked about the abundance of sex scenes in the show and how he deals with such scenes on set.
Speaking about the scenes of graphic sex and nudity, Smith admitted, “You do find yourself asking: ‘Do we need another sex scene?’ And they’re like: ‘Yeah, we do’”. A prominent feature in the previous Game of Thrones series, such scenes were questioned by critics of the show who questioned if they were necessary or if they merely provided a chance for the producer to inject some provocative nudity.
Answering this, Smith states, “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)?’” before further adding, “And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written”.
Much like the rest of the Game of Thrones book series, Martin’s Fire And Blood novel, which explores the history of the Targaryen family, is peppered with graphic sex, nudity and violence, with the first episode of the new HBO series already illustrating each of these three aspects.
Concluding his thoughts on the matter, Smith is asked whether he has a few sex scenes, to which he replies, “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me”.
