House of the Dragon’s Matt Smith effortlessly corrects interviewer on Emma D’Arcy’s pronouns
House of the Dragon fans praise Matt Smith for using Emma D’Arcy’s correct pronouns at season two premiere (Getty Images)
Fans are praising House of the Dragon actor Matt Smith for effortlessly correcting Sue Perkins on co-star Emma D’Arcy’s pronouns at the premiere for season two of HBO show.
Season two of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon lands on Max on 16 June, sweeping fans and viewers back to brutal Westeros for more betrayal, backstabbing and, unsurprisingly, big dragons.
The prequel tells the story of the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, and stars non-binary icon and negroni-sbagliato-having Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, alongside Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Saltburn‘s Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower and newcomer for season two, trans actress and YouTube star Abigail Thorn.
While House of the Dragon‘s warring characters might not always get along which each other onscreen (something about duty, honour and dragons), it’s clear that the the real-life cast do outside Westeros.
Former Doctor Who star Smith is currently garnering heaps of praise from fans online after effortlessly using D’Arcy’s correct pronouns in an interview at the season two premiere.
Being interviewed by formeer host of The Great British Bake Off, Sue Perkins, at the premiere, which took place in London’s Leicester Square on June 10, the pair spoke about the final scene of episode one of the season, with Perkins accidentally misgendering D’Arcy.
“I was talking to Emma and she was saying –,” Perkins began. “She was talking about how amazing that end scene was… and she gave you all the credit.”
Replying, Smith effortlessly answered: “I can’t take the credit, but I have to say, aren’t they brilliant?” before adding, “They are absolutely brilliant and you’re in for a real treat with Emma this year, I think Emma’s put in… a really great performance.”
Smith has been praised for slipping his House of the Dragon scene partner’s correct pronouns into the conversation so effortlessly, not least by the original poster of the video, who had screen recorded the moment from a TikTok Live stream from Sky.
“Matt correcting Sue on Emma’s pronouns OH MY HEART,” they wrote.
In response, another fan added: “The way [Smith] looked the interviewer dead in the face and said “They…” multiple times is *chefs kiss*” and a third commented: “The huge emphasis he uses on they, Matt and the rest of the cast of been so lovely and respectful towards Emma, its quite great to see.”
“The way he put emphasis on the ‘they’ like he don’t play about Emma at all,” another wrote while a fifth joked: “‘Aren’t THEY brilliant” ok matt smith you ate that lil 1 thing.”
D’Arcy has previously explained why “clothes are armour” for non-binary people in a first-person interview with Highsnobriety Magazine.
“Clothing, for most people, is central to who they are and how they express themselves. But for gender-fluid or trans people, clothes play an even more fundamental role,” they began.
“I’m a trans-masc presenting person, and broadly, my instinct is to wear rigid shapes softly. I used to be more into texture, but now I’m gradually getting more into bright colours.
“Clothes are armour for me,” they continued. “They’re essential to who I am, and I feel different in different outfits.”
House of the Dragon season two is set to arrive on Max on 16 June.
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