"Before Game of Thrones": When House of the Dragon star Matt Smith talked about the HBO prequel with a fluent display of High Valyrian

A few weeks after its debut in 2022, House of the Dragon star Matt Smith engaged in a hilarious chat with Jimmy Fallon, where he spilled some tidbits about the Game of Thrones prequel. When the host of The Tonight Show asked him about the timeline of the events of the series, Matt Smith jokingly replied,

"It takes place about 175 years before Game of Thrones. And it's about a sort of incestuous, volatine, sociopathic family, with long wigs who ride dragons and get cross with each other."

Fallon, the ever-enthusiastic host, went on to appreciate the glorious Targaryen mane's flowing, silver-blonde locks and complimented Smith.

"By the way, you pull up your hair very well"

Smith, who plays Daemon in the series, replied that he liked his short hair more than the long, flowy locks. In House of the Dragon, Daemon's hairstyle, which continuously transforms, reflects his chaotic journey and variable loyalties. It ranges from the polished, princely look of his earlier years to the short, textured, battle-ready platinum cut, which establishes him as a rogue prince. Daemon's hairstyle evolves alongside his schemes. The tousled, braided hair look perfectly captures his wild, untamed spirit, while his shorter King of the Narrow Sea style represents menace.

House of the Dragon star Matt Smith on speaking High Valyrian

Jimmy Fallon, the host of the talk show, then asked Matt Smith about the language they often use to communicate in House of the Dragon, High Valyrian. Smith replied,

"High Valyrian. It's the language."

In true Daemon Targaryen style, Smith displayed his High Valyrian speaking skills, as he said,

"Nu hosso demat. Keh see nu hohss. Deh mih voss. Mazilarios. Seenaloose."

When Fallon asked him about the translation, he replied hilariously,

"It means one day this chair will be mine (pointing to the host's seat)."

For those unfamiliar, High Valyrian is a constructed language featured in the Game of Thrones series and its prequel, House of the Dragon series, created by linguist David J. Peterson. Drawing inspiration from Latin and Greek, High Valyrian is utilized by aristocratic dragonlords such as the Targaryens.

After the doom of Valyria, it became a scholarly and ceremonial tongue, while its descendants, the Low Valyrian dialects, evolved in the Free Cities. The language features complex grammar, including four genders (lunar, solar, aquatic, and terrestrial), eight noun cases, and verb conjugations. From Darcarys to Valar Morghulis, most of the popular phrases of the franchise are in High Valyrian.

Smith then went on to talk about his dragon, Caraxes. He described it as,

"Sort of an avatar of Daemon. He's really grumpy, volatile, cynical."

When Fallon asked how they shoot scenes with the dragons in the show, Smith replied that they use a wooden plinth raised around 20 feet in the air, and the movements are supervised and controlled. Smith describes the dragon ride,

"It's like driving a bronco. And they fire wind and rain and then after five hours you're like, Get me the ---- off!"

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Even though House of the Dragon Season 3 doesn't have a release date yet. The recent filming updates place the tentative release around the summer of 2026.

Read more: House of the Dragon Season 3 gets major casting updates as 3 new 'knights' emerge and one from Andor

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