Matt Smith Was Asked If His Caught Stealing Mohawk Or Daemon Targaryen’s Hair Was Harder To Maintain, And His Answer Surprised Me

When you think of iconic Matt Smith looks, the platinum-blonde Targaryen mane on House of the Dragon has to come to mind. The show has gained immense popularity, and the look has become iconic. Now, Smith has a new hair he is debuting for the 2025 movie release, Caught Stealing, and it’s a wild, colorful punk mohawk. Both are bold, scene-stealing hairdos that look like a nightmare to maintain. Smith is now revealing which look he thinks is more difficult to rock, and honestly I’m pretty surprised by his answer.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Smith joined his co-star Regina King to chat about their latest Austin Butler-led Darren Aronofsky movie, which follows a man who volunteers to care for his neighbor Russ's cat. This ends up leading to his involvement in a dangerous criminal conspiracy. Smith’s look for the film is notably striking, and elaborate hair pieces seem to be becoming his thing.

While it wasn’t exactly easy getting his mohawk just right for the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, the Doctor Who star revealed that it was actually easier to maintain than his Daemon Targaryen hair for House of the Dragon. He said:

This actually surprises me, considering the mohawk seems like it would be more difficult to pull off successfully. Getting his hair to stand up like that must’ve involved a lot of products. Also the colorful hair dye alone must’ve been a trip. It’s hard to determine how much of it is his actual hair or extensions, but it couldn’t have been the most nourishing thing to do for your hair.

Plus he had to maintain some semblance of a mohawk throughout filming. You can see a photo of the Caught Stealing look below:

However, Smith truly seemed to believe that the House of the Dragon hairstyle was more intensive, which makes me wonder how much goes into making that wig work. Of course, it isn’t Smith’s actual hair, as bleaching a mane that color would be illogical, as Emilia Clarke learned when she dyed her hair for Game of Thrones. Even though it’s a wig, Smith has previously said he is in the makeup and hair chair for over an hour and a half before he shoots his scenes as Daemon. A lot of work goes into making a wig look natural and seamless, especially a wig that color. It’s probably a mix of the time commitment and the fact that long hair can be uncomfortable for people not used to having it.

Even though Smith thinks that his HoD hair is ultimately a more difficult feat than his elaborate Caught Stealing mohawk, this doesn’t mean that this most recent hairstyle was a cake-walk by any means. Getting his hair to stand up was one thing, but getting all of that product out was another which made the whole thing even more of a hassle. He said:

This, combined with the hair maintenance he took on for the GoT spinoff, truly shows the lengths Smith is willing to go to in order to capture a character’s essence. Hair is a big part of a person, and you can tell a lot about a character based on how they choose to wear their hair, especially if it’s as bold as a colorful mohawk or a long bleach blonde mane. Smith is a rare case where I think he can pull off both, and I can’t wait to see what other hair moments come his way in the future.

You can see Matt Smith rock a mohawk in Caught Stealing, which will be playing in theaters nationwide starting on August 29, 2025. Fans can also see Smith and his flowing white hair as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, which is currently streaming its first two seasons now with an HBO Max subscription.