Matt Smith loves horror. In recent years, he has started watching all kinds of horror films, "at all levels," he says.
When done right, it can lift the audience out of their everyday lives and into something interesting for a couple of hours.
Fear is also an important ingredient in "House of the Dragon." In the prequel to "Game of Thrones," Smith plays Daemon Targaryen, one of the power players in the story that is characterised by conspiracies, betrayal, murder and dragons.
The death toll in the series is, as usual, high. Do the actors know in advance of a new season whether the characters they play will survive? There is certainly a literary model in George R.R. Martin's "Fire and Blood: A History of House Targaryen", but the screenwriters sometimes deviate from it.
To be completely honest, I usually have a feeling about whether I'm going to live or die. But we'll have to wait to discover our fates until we read what's in the script.
Soaked in blood
As the new season begins, viewers encounter Daemon on the battlefield, drenched in blood and with a sword in his hand - he's chopping off heads and it's messy and bloody. Is Daemon a villain or not?
"That's up to the audience to decide. The audience watches and judges and wonders if he's a villain, a hero or an anti-hero," says Matt Smith and continues:
The most important thing for me has been to let him be the worst version of himself, to push him to the edge of the cliff - he does things that should make it impossible to come back from. And whether that makes him a villain or an anti-hero, I don't know. It's up to others to interpret that, but for me that's when he's most interesting.
The heart of fantasy
Over the years, we've seen Matt Smith in both contemporary dramas like "The Crown" (where he played Prince Philip in the first few seasons) and the acclaimed Nick Cave series "The Death of Bunny Munro." But his heart lies - at least for now - in horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Fantasy and science fiction are a great setting for good acting.
Next year we will see you in one of the main roles in "Star Wars: Starfighter." Can you tell us all about it?
"Sure. It takes place in space," he replies, laughing.
Age: 43.
Family: Single.
Lives: In London.
Occupation: Actor.
Selected previous roles: "Doctor Who", "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies", "The Crown", "Charlie Says", "Last Night in Soho", "Morbius", "The Death of Bunny Munro", "House of the Dragon".
Current: In "House of the Dragon" season three, which premieres on HBO Max on June 22.
