If you followed Dragon Housethen you know what an absolute chaotic MESS demon prince Targaryen (played by Matt Smith) is.
His many crimes so far include stealing his dead nephew’s dragon egg, murdering his first wife, annulling his niece’s marriage, then marrying her later, beheading Ser Vaemond (let’s be honest, he had kind of brought it in), and in general, making his brother the king. Viserys’ life is absolute hell.
But he also… well, he looks like this 🥵.
Despite all his highly questionable behavior, Daemon quickly became a fan favorite. People are completely obsessed with seeing it wreak havoc.
every week i open hbo thinking “i wonder what crimes the targaryen daemon is committing today and what can i do to support it” #HouseOfTheDragon
HBO / @idrewlv / Via Twitter: @idrewlv
However, not everyone feels the Daemon hype. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, HOT Writer and executive producer Sara Hess admitted she was baffled by the internet’s love for her character.
“He’s become an Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me,” Hess said of Daemon. “It’s not that Matt isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s amazing in the role. But Daemon himself is…I don’t want him to be my boyfriend! I’m a little baffled to see how they all are, ‘Oh, daddy!’ And I’m just like, ‘Really?'”
“How – in what way – was he a good partner, father or brother to anybodyHess continued. “You got me. It’s not Paul Rudd.”
Many fans weren’t too happy with Hess’ take:
y’all tried to make us hate dany that didn’t work now y’all want to make us hate daemon too @HBO your green program WON’T WORK!
I don’t understand how people are still surprised when the hot and morally gray character becomes a fan favorite, especially when you have him defend his wife’s honor like that
HBO / @m_bee4
demon: “(otto) don’t protect you, i will” & was right -defend luke’s birthright -kill vaemond for calling nyra a whore -raise viserys to the throne, the crown -won’t let the maesters cut laena open sara hess: “but how was he a good partner, father or brother???”
it’s so funny to me because they equate praise with just having fun and supporting a character they love. it’s not about whether demon is a good person or a good husband, it’s about how entertaining and fun to watch demon is because he’s a villain with charisma. https://t.co/7Rrii0eHkJ
HBO / @laszlos / Via Twitter: @IaszIos
In the same interview, HOT Director Clare Kilner offered her own take on Daemon: “I love that people are so engaged with these characters, and I think that’s part of the fun. One minute you like someone and the next minute, you like someone else. But I’m not surprised. Matt takes so many risks in his performances and he has this little smile and, you know… you can’t help it! He’s charismatic. People like bad guys. But I don’t think he’s mostly a good dad or a good brother.”
Additionally, Smith explained that he doesn’t view Daemon as just a villain, but rather as an agent of chaos. “I love playing a villain…not that he’s a villain, Daemon; I think there’s more depth to it,” he said in an interview with Extra. “I think he’s just an agent of chaos and he wants to cause conflict, arguments and disagreements – that’s where he feels alive.”
No matter what you think of Daemon, you can expect great things for his character. “We will see another side of him [in the finale]”, Hess told The Hollywood Reporter. “And right now we’re writing season 2 and finding out what the nature of his relationship with Rhaenyra is? There are many interpretations [in George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood] so that.”
Personally, I think this post says it best:
What do you think of the Daemon character? Tell us in the comments!
#House #Dragon #Producer #Sara #Hess #Calls #Internets #Love #Daemon #Baffling