Is all this sex necessary? Smith asked of GOT prequel
‘I think that it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written’
MATT SMITH has revealed he questioned the number of sex scenes in the
Game of Thrones prequel and had to be reassured by the programme makers that the content was not gratuitous.
Game of Thrones was notorious for its scenes of sex and nudity, and the franchise’s new series, House of the Dragon, promises to be no different.
Smith, who played the Doctor in Doctor Who and the Duke of Edinburgh in
The Crown, has been cast in the series as Daemon Targaryen, a prince and distant uncle of Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons in Game of Thrones.
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, the actor said: “You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’
And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’”
Smith, 39, said he eventually accepted that the sexual content was faithful to the source material of George RR Martin’s fantasy novels.
He said: “You have to ask yourself, ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we’re living in]?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written.”
The prequel, which launches on Aug 21 on Sky Atlantic, is set centuries before the events of Game of Thrones.
Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys in the original series, has told of her discomfort over the nude scenes.
She revealed that one rape scene was so upsetting both she and her co-star, Jason Momoa, were reduced to tears.
Martin has claimed to be surprised at the number of complaints about how many sex scenes there are, saying: “I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it.”