The hit fantasy series, House of the Dragon, is packed with taboo content. Be it foot fetishes or some overtly familial relations, the presence of fire-breathing creatures isn’t the only shocking thing about the Game of Thrones prequel TV series. It can be awkward to watch some of these intimate moments, but it turns out that filming sex scenes weren’t that bad and more analytical than they appear to be – almost as if they were a dance routine.
In an interview with the LA Times, Matt Smith – who plays the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen – opened up about what it was like shooting the sex scenes between himself and the young version of Daemon’s niece and wife Rhaenyra (played by Milly Alcock). Despite the initial “ickiness” of the scenario of an uncle seducing his younger niece, Smith shared that the sex scenes were handled professionally – never crossing the line.
“I think we were lucky with Clare Kilner, the director [of ‘King of the Narrow Sea,’ the episode in which Daemon attempts to seduce young Rhaenyra]. She handled the sex scenes as well as I’ve seen them handled.” He said. “Some people, I imagine, would watch it, and they want more. And some people think, ‘This is too much.’ But I don’t really get involved in all that. That’s up to the director to manage.”
Smith went on to explain how sex scenes were planned out and treated like learning dance steps. “You learn it like that. It’s a bit like a ballet. We have a really good intimacy coordinator. And me and [Milly Alcock, who played young Rhaenyra] got on fabulously well and just laughed our way through that scene,” he said.
“It looks really serious, but Milly and I are just pissing our pants the whole time, laughing, going, ‘There’s all these naked people standing here. What are we doing?’ You try and cut through the really weird tension of the room and make jokes.”
It is nice to hear that fun was had on the set of the drama series, considering how serious and heavy House of the Dragon tends to be. Fans can now watch the series season finale, episode 10, and look forward to learning more about the fight for Westeros in House of the Dragon season 2.