As the second season of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” heads toward its finale, viewers are witnessing the escalating tensions between the Targaryen Greens and Blacks. At the heart of this brewing conflict are two pivotal characters: Daemon Targaryen and Ser Criston Cole, played by Matt Smith and Fabien Frankel, respectively.
Both actors recently had a virtual interview with the international press, The STAR included, to talk more about their roles, the emotional and physical demands of filming the show, and the powerful female characters in the series.
When asked about the positive reception of the first season and whether it boosted their confidence, Fabien responded candidly, “I don’t know that it did give me confidence. Relief more than anything.”
Smith agreed, adding, “Confidence with acting is quite a weird thing. It kind of comes and goes... but it was obvious that we were enthused to see that people responded to it with generally a positive attitude.”
Nevertheless, returning to their roles after an 18-month filming break posed different challenges for both actors. Fabien opened up about the rigorous combat training, particularly the difficulty of training with and adapting to the heavy armor.
“The armor is really hard to wear for sustained periods of time, and they’ve done an amazing job of making it as light as it can be. Listen, I can’t imagine what it’s like in the medieval period wearing that kind of armor,” Fabien explained. “It’s physically really demanding.”
He also revealed a personal setback: “I got a really bad shoulder injury filming. Terrible. I just had surgery. Inside scoop, not that it’s a good one, but it’s difficult, man.”
Matt, on the other hand, was asked about his dragon-riding scenes, and he said that while they aren’t as physically taxing, they still require a degree of core strength. “You’re on a plinth, they put you up in the air and you’re on a little remote control pivot. But you’re all sort of harnessed in and stuff so it doesn’t really require too much, in the way of physicality,” the actor said. “You need a bit of core strength but that’s about it.”
During the interview, both actors were also asked about their characters’ propensity for violence. Reflecting on this aspect of his character, Matt said, “It’s a very violent world, and I think these two characters particularly, it’s how they survive, in a way. It’s what they know. It’s sort of how they communicate. It’s the most concise and quickest point, and the truth is, they’re both very good at it.”
He added that Daemon and Criston Cole are “warriors in many respects,” acting purely from instinct “and doing what it is they know and doing it so well.”
Fabien echoed this sentiment, but placed it in a historical context. “Certainly in the medieval period, violence was just the way that men dealt with things,” he said. He pointed out the evolution in modern times, saying, “For a good thing, I think men are much more open to speaking about their emotions” nowadays, as well as seeking alternative methods to handle “pent-up rage or whatever it is.”
In “House of the Dragon,” Daemon and Criston Cole find themselves deeply embroiled in the political machinations of the Targaryen civil war. With the “transition” from battlefields to political arenas in Season 2, they were asked if their characters were equipped to handle the power play and struggle.
“Cole’s dream world would be to just be at war,” Fabien said. “You know, that’s what he wants. I think Cole wants to get out of the castle as quickly as he possibly can.” Smith, however, believed Daemon could adapt, describing him as “really smart and a man of action.”
Meanwhile, it was also pointed out during the Zoom chat that the show has complex but powerful female characters, a point that both actors appreciated. The STAR asked the two actors their views on women leaders, given the show’s depiction of strong females in a patriarchal society.
Fabien, who was raised by women, expressed admiration for female leaders, saying, “The women in my life are the leaders in my life... probably the two people I look up to the most in my life are women.”
Matt also praised female leadership, mentioning recent global examples and saying, “Similarly, I think we’ve got some wonderful female leaders. I see that Mexico has just elected their first female president, which I thought was brilliant, actually.”
He shared that he has worked with influential female directors and collaborators in his career, stressing that he always had respect for women in leadership roles.
“Some of the best directors I’ve ever worked with have been women. And many of my sort of greatest collaborators at work tend to be women and people that I admire and often play second fiddle to,” Matt further said. “It’s brilliant, but even though it is, it shouldn’t be a huge thing, I suppose.”