Matt Smith Corrects Interviewer Misgendering Emma D’Arcy
Image: Emma D'Arcy (left) and Matt Smith (right) in House of the Dragon season 1. Source: HBO
Doctor Who alumni Matt Smith has shown exactly how to be an ally on the red carpet of House of the Dragon season 2, politely correcting Emma D’Arcy’s pronouns after Sue Perkins misgendered them on Sky.
Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel series, was being interviewed by Perkins (best known as part of Mel and Sue on The Great British Bake Off), talking about how incredible the final scene of season 1 with D’Arcy was. However, she used she/her pronouns for D’Arcy twice in her praise.
In his response, Smith corrected Perkins’ mistake with grace, saying: “I have to say, they are… aren’t they brilliant? 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.”
Matt correcting Sue on Emma’s pronouns OH MY HEART 😭 pic.twitter.com/G6kBssjIG2
— gee 🗡 (@uncledaddyism) June 10, 2024
Praise for Matt Smith
Smith’s subtle emphasis on D’Arcy’s they/them pronouns received praise from fans, who were happy to see him so quick to make the correction.
“The way he looks the interviewer dead in the face and said ‘They…’ multiple times is *chefs kiss*,” said one user in response to the interview clip being posted. “The sexiest thing a man can do is quietly correct someone’s pronouns mid conversation,” said another.
However, other users lamented the fact that a big network like Sky allowed Emma’s pronouns to be messed up at a huge premiere.
Granted, Perkins did apologise for her mistake on Twitter/X, saying: “It was a shitty mistake. Had loads of stuff going on in my earpiece and so wasn’t as focused as I should have been.
“No excuses though. These things matter and I feel terrible about it. Am a massive fan of their work and would never want to be disrespectful.”
Elsewhere on the red carpet, Smith encountered Cheddar Gorgeous and spoke about what fans can expect in season 2 of House of the Dragon – while seeming to turn the flirt on, of course.
House of the Dragon season 2 releases on Monday June 17th in Australia. Hopefully with even more queer representation, including The Acolyte‘s Abigail Thorn, the series can move past burying their gays.
