House Of The Dragon FIRST LOOK: Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy film on Cornwall beach

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Matt Smith dressed as Prince Daemon Targaryen on Tuesday when work got underway on the hotly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon, set 3000 years before the events of the hit HBO show. 

The actor, 38, transformed into his character by sporting a long ice-blonde wig while shooting scenes on a windy Holywell Bay Beach in Cornwall, confirming the south-west coast will be a key filming location. 

Emma D’Arcy, 28, who will play Daemon’s wife and niece Rhaenyra Targaryen in the upcoming series, joined the former Dr. Who star, and they bore a striking resemblance to future family member Daenerys, played by Emilia Clarke, in a long crimson gown which split at the front and boasted a brighter scarlet material.

Matt added to Prince Daemon’s look with a long black jacket and knee-high boots for the shoot and appeared to be deep in conversation with Emma as they stood on the empty beach, their red and black ensembles represented the colours of House Targaryen.

His hair was partially pulled back, with the bottom half of his bright blonde tresses sitting down his neck and falling just on his shoulders.

Emma sported the same platinum blonde hair as her co-star – a key genetic trait in the Targaryen household – with her own tresses being partially styled into an impressive braid and fixed atop her head.

The actress looked remarkably similar to Emilia, who played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, with the bold hairstyle only adding to the similarity between the two stars. 

At one point during Tuesday’s shoot, Emma was seen headed towards the water following her discussing with Matt’s character of Prince Daemon.

Over recent days, speculation has been rife that the prequel is being filmed in the southern county, after crews were spotted in different locations last week.

On Monday pictures emerged showing a film set had appeared on Holywell Bay beach, suggesting that it could be used in scenes featuring Matt and Emma.

And the medieval castle on St Michael’s Mount on Mount’s Bay in Cornwall where production is also said to be taking place bears a striking resemblance to the castle inhabited by Queen Cersei in the original HBO series, filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The castle has a breathtaking view of the North Sea with much of the filming said to be taking place in the lower reaches of the mount within days. 

The production crew behind the series were said to have been given full permission from the family who still reside in the higher area of the castle to film there.

Scaffolding can be seen just behind the castle while there is also a large archway and scenic garden nearby where filming will likely take place. 

MailOnline has contacted a representative for WarnerMedia for comment. 

House of the Dragon will take place around 300 years before the Game of Thrones series, which ended in 2019, and will feature a star-studded cast including Olivia Cooke. 

The show will depict the war of succession between Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors Rhaenyra and Aegon II, two dragon-wielding heirs to the Iron Throne, in a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

The Dance of the Dragons saw Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II fight over their father Viserys I’s throne in a war that lasted three years, and led to untold death and misfortune to the Targaryen line. 

She was declared the heir to her father Viserys I, but upon his passing Aegon II was hastily crowned and she swore revenge against him, and she was shortly crowned queen with their father’s stolen crown, thus leading to a power struggle between the two.

Rhaenyra wed her uncle Daemon following the death of her first husband Ser Laenor Velaryon, prior to the Dance of the Dragons, and he helped support her campaign against her half-brother. 

It had already been confirmed that filming for House of the Dragon would begin in spring 2021, and would be filmed in the UK, at Leavesden Studios, which is owned by Warner Bros.

However with several sightings of film crews working in Cornwall over recent weeks, some fans had started to think that at least some of the production is happening in the county – which has now been confirmed with snaps of Emma and Matt on the beach.

Film crews were first spotted at St Michael’s Mount last week and at Penhale Camp near Newquay, with medieval-style sets being built at the former, and lighting rigs and lorries at the latter.

One clue sparked much excitement from residents, after spotting a symbol of a seahorse on the top of an archway set built on the National Trust-managed Mount. 

Zooming in from a distance, it appeared to closely match one of the Game of Thrones universe’s house sigils.

There is also a suggestion that filming is taking palace at Restormel Castle near Lostwithiel – land owned by English Heritage.

Signs near the castle direct people to it which read ‘base’, according to a witness, which include ‘scoutproductions.co.uk’ on them.

The National Trust, which owns the land, was unable to confirm what was being filmed. A spokesperson told Cornwall Live: ‘We can confirm there is a shoot but I’m afraid we are not able to give any more details at present.’

MailOnline contacted representatives for Warner Bros. and The National Trust for further comment at the time.

As well as the theory about filming being for House of the Dragon, others considered the crews could be working on a new series of Vikings, the movie sequel Fisherman’s Friends 2 or even the Warner Bros-produced Sesame Street film.

Other clues that the series is being filmed in Cornwall included a job posting for bearded, long-haired men, around a month ago – with the same description from the same company, Scout Productions, as previous casting for GoT filming in Ireland – as well as confirmation from the studio that it had commenced filming in early 2021. 

Emma and Matt join Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria and Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, an actor has yet to be cast as Aegon II.

Casting began last year, and the prequel is due to be released in spring 2022.