When actors do promotion for a new project they typically stick to their talking points and stay wherever the producers tell them to sit. Well, House of the Dragon star Matt Smith and the hosts of Today had a different plan. He discussed his work on The Crown, his role in the Game of Thrones prequel, and his magnificent sense of style And that last point was especially appropriate because, during the chat, he was rocking an incredible black, purple and blue shirt. Then, he ended up becoming an impromptu anchor and weatherman on the morning newscast, and it was hilarious.
Among the House of the Dragon cast, Smith plays the maniacal, conniving, devious, corrupt Prince Daemon Targaryen. However, this appearance on The Today Show reminded me more of his days as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who – especially when he jaunted from his seat over to the weatherboard to do the day's forecast with Al Roker. Check it out:
Matt got a chance to test out some of his skills with @SavannahGuthrie, @hodakotb, and even gave out the weather with @alroker 😁 pic.twitter.com/ESYBOlMNIKSeptember 15, 2022
I feel like this could have been something that happened to The Doctor; it feels on brand that he would land the TARDIS accidentally at 30 Rock in the middle of a broadcast and pretend as though he worked there. The actor's charm and charisma during the weather report impressed Al Roker and the two other anchors, Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. Especially, since not long before he gave us all the day’s weather he had been explaining why he thought their jobs were so hard. Guthrie then told him:
We think you should work at the Today Show. You said what we do every day is bonkers.
To which the actor responded with:
I find this really hard that you can just read the sort of auto prompt and that you do this every morning. I think it’s quite mad.
They then convinced him to read the teleprompter, despite him saying he has bad eyes. He introduced Al Roker, who he called a “dude.” And then was told to go over to the weather screen, where he proceeded to explain the forecast across the U.S. Honestly, he killed it.
To further the Doctor comparison, Matt Smith was rocking a purple, blue and black loose-fitted button-down shirt that harkened back to his purple tweed jacket from his final season as the time-lord. Among some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, you can find Smith bouncing around the universe in his tweed jacket, bow tie and the occasional fez. While Matt Smith, the actor, may not wear suits all the time, he does have a stunning and unique sense of style.
This humorous appearance on Today was a breath of fresh air and exemplifies what we've come to expect when Matt Smith appears on TV, especially if you are currently watching House of the Dragon. Even he has said filming the prequel can be a lot. For example, that brothel scene that involved him and Milly Alcock, who plays his niece Rhaenyra Targaryen, was a lot to film for the principal actors and the extras. (It was also a lot to watch as a viewer.)
You have to love seeing Matt Smith doing press because it reminds me what a fun-loving and goofy human he is. These appearances also are a chance for him to show off his wicked fashion sensibilities. It also reinforces how great he is at his job, because every time I watch a new episode of House of the Dragon, I forget about Smith and only see the prince of Westeros. You can see Smith transform into Daemon and stand alongside the rest of the Targaryen family in new episodes of HOTD every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO or you can watch with an HBO Max subscription after they premiere.
