House of the Dragon Season 2 is almost here, a fact that is pretty hard not to be aware of even if you don’t watch it, considering just how much press all the stars are doing. There have been countless interviews and discussions about the new season, but one, in particular, is going viral after Matt Smith seemed to make a point of correcting an interviewer who used the wrong pronouns when referring to his co-star Emma D’Arcy.
There’s been something of a minor firestorm surrounding the events after Sue Perkins mistakenly used “she” when referring to Emma D’Arcy, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, when chatting with Smith about the show, and Perkins herself has now responded to her slip.
How Matt Smith Corrected An Interviewer
Emma D'Arcy only appeared in part of House of the Dragon Season 1 but they're a more consistent part of Season 2. In the clip that’s gone viral on Twitter, former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins is chatting with Matt Smith about scenes he had done with Emma D’Arcy in Season 1, though the narrative keeps Smith and D'Arcy largely apart in Season 2. Perkins uses “she” when referring to the actor, but Smith then responds by seemingly making a point to use the word “they” multiple times, as a way to politely, but clearly, make the correction. Check out the exchange below.
Matt correcting Sue on Emma's pronouns OH MY HEART 😭 pic.twitter.com/G6kBssjIG2June 10, 2024
Smith doesn’t call out Perkins, but he does make sure that he uses the correct pronouns after the interviewer has failed to do so. Smith is largely being celebrated on social media for coming to his co-star’s defense since they weren’t there at the time. Those who are pleased with Smith are equally frustrated with Sue Perkins.
Sue Perkins Apologized For Her Mistake
A lot of people on social media have seen this exchange, and many have been less than kind to Sue Perkins for her mistake, feeling she should have known better. For her part, Perkins herself seems to agree that she should have known better. In a response to a now-deleted criticism of the error, Perkins explained why it happened, but ultimately accepted that she screwed up, 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.
As Perkins herself says, these things matter. It’s seen as a sign of respect and simple courtesy to refer to somebody by the pronouns they ask for. Perkins certainly isn’t the first to make such an error, but while the error may not have been malicious, it was reportedly not the only time during the press tour such an error occurred.
