“He is loyal to very end tho”: House of the Dragon Season 2’s Unintentional Nod to Matt Smith’s Another Iconic Role is Too Obvious to Ignore
House of the Dragon Season 2 is absolutely breaking the internet right now with each new episode. Most of the actors from the previous seasons have reprised their roles and one of them is Matt Smith who rejoins the cast as Daemon Targaryen, husband of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
As seen in the show, Daemon has a hard time accepting that his wife, Rhaenyra Targaryen, is better than him in certain aspects. Some fans might have noticed that this is not the first time Smith has played a character who struggles with accepting his wife for who she is. The character of Prince Philip, portrayed by Smith, in The Crown, also had similar problems with his wife Princess Elizabeth.
Matt Smith’s Character in House of the Dragon Season 2 Has This One Similarity With His Role in The Crown
Matt Smith turned to acting after his dream of becoming a professional footballer was shattered by his spondylolysis diagnosis. He rose to prominence with his role as Henry in the play That Face, which earned him recognition among some of the best publications.
In 2009, he landed the role of Doctor Who and became popular among the general public as the Eleventh Doctor. He was notably the youngest Doctor and the youngest actor to have ever played the role. Years later, he was cast as Prince Philip in the hit Netflix drama series, The Crown which chronicles the lives of the members of the British Royal Family.
In the show, Prince Philip is shown to be struggling to come to terms with his position as Prince Consort to his wife Queen Elizabeth who seemed to have taken over the duties of the heir to the throne a little too soon for their liking. The Prince was used to being an authoritative figure, but with his wife in the position of power, he was more of a subordinate figure.
Not to mention that Prince Philip’s naval career was effectively sidelined depriving him of his sense of purpose and fulfillment. This is very similar to Smith’s character as Daemon Targaryen in HOTD as his ambition and desire for power create tension with Rhaenyra’s position as the future queen. Philip’s and Daemon’s desires for greater influence and their inability to fully accept their secondary roles contribute to ongoing friction with their wives.
Fans Have Not Missed This Similarity Between Matt Smith’s Roles in the Two Shows
The Crown and HOTD are hugely popular shows that have millions of viewers worldwide, and Smith’s roles in both of them have been quite prominent. Eagle-eyed fans have not missed the parallels between the two characters he has played. Here is what some of them had to say on X:
Some fans have also pointed out that as Doctor Who, Smith was very supportive of his wife, River Song, who is a time-traveling archaeologist. Whatever the case is, the actor has been doing a phenomenal job in all of his performances.
House of the Dragon is available for streaming on HBO and Max. The Crown is available for streaming on Netflix.
