Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

British actor Matt Smith proved himself to be a real LGBTQ+ ally and friend when he subtly corrected an interviewer who misgendered his House of the Dragon co-star Emma D’Arcy. Emma identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.

Taking to the red carpet on Monday (June 10) at the House of the Dragon Season 2 London premiere, Matt was speaking to a reporter named Sue Perkins about the Season 1 finale, in which Daemon (Matt) informs Rhaenyra (Emma) about her son’s death, The New York Post reported Wednesday (June 12).

Highlights

Matt Smith corrected an interviewer who misgendered his co-star Emma D’Arcy, showing support for LGBTQ+ allies.
Emma D’Arcy identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
The correction clip went viral with 1.2 million views, showcasing Matt's quick and respectful response.

A clip of Sue, who hosts the Apple TV show House of the Dragon: War Room, interviewing the 41-year-old actor was shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), amassing 1.2 million views and quickly going viral.

In the segment of the interview, Sue was filmed referencing Emma, saying: “She gave you all the credit” for the scene.

British actor Matt Smith proved himself to be a real LGBTQ+ ally and friend

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: Jeff Spicer/WireImage

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: Samir Hussein/WireImage

In the viral clip, Matt seemed to quickly pick up on the wrong use of pronouns, as he quickly replied: “I can’t take the credit, [but] I have to say, aren’t they brilliant?”

The Crown star further emphasized the right pronouns, adding: “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.”

“Also how tf was more than one interviewer not prepared enough to address Emma correctly??? how hard is it smh (shake my head),” the original poster (OP) wrote on X. “Yes this is the bare minimum from Matt & Harry, I just love how protective Matt is over Emma in general.”

**Matt subtly corrected interviewer Sue Perkins, who misgendered his House of the Dragon co-star Emma D’Arcy**

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: LadyDaenaera

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: LadyDaenaera

Harry Collett portrays Prince Jacaerys Velaryon in House of the Dragon.

The OP went on to highlight Matt’s open-mindedness, as they shared a clip of Matt from the same event having a “flirty” conversation with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4 alumni Cheddar Gorgeous.

The short video showed Matt telling Cheddar: “You look lovely, you look great, look at your eyes as well.”

The same X user further shared a picture of the actor, this time posing while holding up a huge transgender flag, pointing out Matt’s progressive attitude yet again.

Emma identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns

Matt correcting Sue on Emma’s pronouns OH MY HEART 😭 pic.twitter.com/G6kBssjIG2
— gee 🗡 (@uncledaddyism) June 10, 2024

Video credits: uncledaddyism

With the initial clip of Matt and Sue spreading on social media like wildfire, many people supported the award-winning actor’s gentle pronoun correction.

In another video shared on X, where people were commenting on Sue’s interview with Eve Best, who plays “The Queen Who Never Was” in House of the Dragon, a person seemingly replied to some critic, as they wrote: “I highly doubt @sueperkins of all people would misgender on purpose, it’s hard to know everyone’s pronouns without guidance.

“I would have made the same mistake.”

A person argued back: “It’s not hard to do research on the lead of a show before interviewing at the premiere of that show, in fact, it’s absolutely the bare minimum that should be expected.”

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: sueperkins

This prompted the reporter herself to come out and clarify: “It was a sh**ty mistake.”

Sue added: “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.

“[I’m] a massive fan of their work and would never want to be disrespectful x.”

In the House of the Dragon Season 1 finale, Daemon (Matt) informs Rhaenyra (Emma) about her son’s death

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

Image credits: HBO

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma D’Arcy (@emmaziadarcy)

Emma has previously opened up about their gender identity, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2022: “Rhaenyra has an ongoing battle with what it means to be a woman and is a fundamental outsider.

“She’s terrified of getting locked into motherhood and is aware of how her position would be different if she were male.

“I’m a nonbinary person.

“I’ve always found myself both pulled and repelled by masculine and feminine identity and I think that plays out truthfully here.

“She can’t attend court in a way that comes easily to other people.”

“It is that easy,” a reader commented

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

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What do you think ?

POST

cerinamroth 5 months ago

Don't get me wrong, but I'm actually more impressed with Sue Perkins here than with Matt, perhaps. It's much harder to admit you were wrong than it is to correct someone. I have every faith that she'll pay more attention in future. I think Matt went about his correction in just the right way too. Well done all round.

38points

Lady Miss Pie Premium 5 months ago

This is a great point.

3points

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Ample Aardvark 5 months ago

I'm positive it was unintentional, Sue is such a lovely person and I believe she was genuinely mortified to have misgendered Emma. And Matt was just awesome as usual!

24points

Ross “Sarcastic Dad” 5 months ago

I think everyone wins with this, because it's a teachable moment for all of us. No one feels worse than Sue Perkins. This was a mistake, and she owned it.

4points

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FreeTheUnicorn 5 months ago

Great job. Part of being an ally is to recognise when people slip up and when it is a deliberate misgendering. He does a great job correcting it, but not being a d**k. Perkin's apology was clear and shows she knows how important pronouns can be. She will likely be more careful going forward. It's nice to see a point made and a point received in a way that brings people along instead of scolds them. (I will clarify it was the right approach because it wasn't intentional and it wasn't a pattern)

15points

Daniel Marsh 5 months ago

Reporter has a well-known reputation for being 100% down with the LGBTQIA pop, out of sheer ignorance refers to someone who formerly identified as female, uses a female name, plays female character and largely presents as female as a female, and Matt Smith is a courageous hero for standing to her? Matt Smith is awesome, but this is hardly an astounding act of courage.

8points

Shane S 5 months ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

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PFD 5 months ago

Oh, for goodness' sake. A small mistake, quickly corrected. No one hurt, no one being mean, everyone is lovely. Do we need discourse around *everything*?

7points

Shane S 5 months ago (edited)

Sue is a member of the LGBT community. Of course she didn’t make this mistake on purpose. You apologize, correct it, and do better in the future. Let’s move on.

4points

Binky Melnik 5 months ago

Don’t we all do this nearly every day? Referring to someone with the wrong pronoun because we’re unaware it’s the wrong pronoun? I’ve never experienced someone making a big deal about it. A year ago, I met a sweet teen boy, “Hombre,” in my neighborhood as we had friends in common. He was very shy and struck me as uncomfortable in social settings, so I tried to encourage him, telling him when his clothes were nice, how good he smelled, complimented his new haircut, etc. Seven months after meeting him, was with him and mutual friends when I said something about his upcoming prom, and a friend said “Bink, you know ‘Hombre’ is a chick, right?” I nearly threw up. I looked at her, likely with horror on my face, and she said “It’s cool; don’t worry about it.” When I finally found my voice, I sincerely apologized and cracked “You totally faked me out!” which, granted, was the wrong thing to say, but there were no repercussions and we remain friends to this day. Honest mistakes are just that.

2points

Binky Melnik 5 months ago (edited)

I’d just like to point out that I was raised in a generation in which we looked at someone (their clothes, their hair, the presence/absence of makeup, etc) and picked the pronoun that most fit because there were only two back then. While I try really hard to call people by their preferred pronouns, I’m still instinctually and automatically deciding on gender by appearance. While I genuinely WANT to call them by their preferred pronouns (save for Will Smith’s son 🙄) (in case you’re unaware, his pronoun is “tree”), sometimes when I’m in a rush, I’ll make an error. I own up to it and promise to do better in the future. For people who may be horrified by my upbringing, I’m just trying to let you know that I have 64 years of experience doing it this way, and it’s now become wrong to do this in the last decade or so. I’ll keep trying to be correct if you promise not to have a 💩 fit if I get it wrong. Deal?

1point

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Lady Miss Pie Premium 5 months ago

Matt Smith is wonderful, and—I know this is probably Doctor Who blasphemy, but his Eleventh Doctor is my favorite. He just has a warmth and goodness that is very lovely.

2points

Edward Shaw 5 months ago (edited)

Sue is an ally.

2points

Virgil Blue 5 months ago

I likes Matt's Dr Who's chaotic energy a lot. Well done in the interview.

2points

Nater Tater 5 months ago

This makes my brain hurt a little. Ok, it was something that like 95% of people who reference Emma would do. They have a generally female name, and they look like a female, sound like a female, play a female, and are all around for all intents and purposes, a female. I get people have a personal identity, but why the hell do we get so tied up on something like this. It is trivial. I bet if Emma was there, they wouldn't care. It is just so stupid to make an entire article about this type of stuff. I sometimes feel weirdly effeminate, but I know what I am. I am a guy. I don't need to call myself non-binary just because I feel more effeminate and emotional on some days. What purpose does it serve to call your-self non-binary and make a big deal about people "misgendering".

1point

Kare Deter 5 months ago

Why we just do away with the gender specific pronouns entirely? Would anyone be offended to be referred to as they/them? When directed at an individual as such, gender means as much as hair color. Pointless.

1point

Linden 5 months ago (edited)

There aren't gendered pronouns in my indigenous language - it's all just the one word to include he/she/they. It suits me well being nonbinary and because I don't put much weight on the role of gender to my identity. However, that's just my feeling. For some people gender is very important to them and I can respect that, so in English I use the right pronouns for everyone. It's not pointless to all people, to some it matters.

1point

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Beatrice Logan 2 months ago

This is all a load of tosh. Everyone makes mistakes, it was quite clearly not malicious! It is an adjustment for people to completely change the speech patterns they have been using since they first learnt to talk. People will slip up, gosh my mum still calls me my sisters name and my dad cant remembwr my birthday. They're human, I'm not mortally wounded when someone slips up. If it was a comment made with genuine hate fine get your back up if you want to but seriously stop holding people to ridiculous standards we're not robots we're humans. Isn't the whole reason people are getting upset the idea that someone didn't use the correct pronouns shows unacceptance, perhaps we could extend that outrage both ways? And just accept we're all fallible humans who generally try to do our best and don't wonder round spending all of time finding way to intentionally injure others. Get a bloody grip.

0points

UselessKnowledgeFont 5 months ago

I'm wondering if Sue didn't have time to or even thought to look up bios of whomever she was planning on asking about? As many mentioned, the entire slip-up seems quite unusual for her. Heck, why was she even the one interviewing people? (Also find it ironically funny to see her referred to only as a reporter)

0points

KJ Nower 5 months ago

Fiddling with semantics as the world burns

0points

Alice Gregory 4 months ago

I heard a quote 'using correct pronouns isn't political correctness gone mad, its suicide prevention' Maybe it doesn't mean much if you've never had to correct anyone. Just because the world is burning it doesn't mean we can't also care about people.

0points

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spyder199ed 5 months ago

Citiot problems. Baha

0points

Alice Gregory 5 months ago

A little language update is needed for this article too. They don’t identify as a non binary person. They are a non binary person.

-1point

Paul Shepherd 5 months ago

Mental illness, every where you look nowadays. Get a grip.

-1point

Invisible Potato 5 months ago

i dont get what was wrong and what wrong was said.... also doenst give a damn f**k about that actor or his tv shows, so probably not that much itnerested

-1point

spyder199ed 5 months ago

Lmao. Tarfs

-1point

POST

cerinamroth 5 months ago

38points

Lady Miss Pie Premium 5 months ago

This is a great point.

3points

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Ample Aardvark 5 months ago

I'm positive it was unintentional, Sue is such a lovely person and I believe she was genuinely mortified to have misgendered Emma. And Matt was just awesome as usual!

24points

Ross “Sarcastic Dad” 5 months ago

I think everyone wins with this, because it's a teachable moment for all of us. No one feels worse than Sue Perkins. This was a mistake, and she owned it.

4points

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FreeTheUnicorn 5 months ago

15points

Daniel Marsh 5 months ago

8points

Shane S 5 months ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

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PFD 5 months ago

Oh, for goodness' sake. A small mistake, quickly corrected. No one hurt, no one being mean, everyone is lovely. Do we need discourse around *everything*?

7points

Shane S 5 months ago (edited)

Sue is a member of the LGBT community. Of course she didn’t make this mistake on purpose. You apologize, correct it, and do better in the future. Let’s move on.

4points

Binky Melnik 5 months ago

2points

Binky Melnik 5 months ago (edited)

1point

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Lady Miss Pie Premium 5 months ago

Matt Smith is wonderful, and—I know this is probably Doctor Who blasphemy, but his Eleventh Doctor is my favorite. He just has a warmth and goodness that is very lovely.

2points

Edward Shaw 5 months ago (edited)

Sue is an ally.

2points

Virgil Blue 5 months ago

I likes Matt's Dr Who's chaotic energy a lot. Well done in the interview.

2points

Nater Tater 5 months ago

1point

Kare Deter 5 months ago

1point

Linden 5 months ago (edited)

1point

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Beatrice Logan 2 months ago

0points

UselessKnowledgeFont 5 months ago

0points

KJ Nower 5 months ago

Fiddling with semantics as the world burns

0points

Alice Gregory 4 months ago

0points

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spyder199ed 5 months ago

Citiot problems. Baha

0points

Alice Gregory 5 months ago

A little language update is needed for this article too. They don’t identify as a non binary person. They are a non binary person.

-1point

Paul Shepherd 5 months ago

Mental illness, every where you look nowadays. Get a grip.

-1point

Invisible Potato 5 months ago

i dont get what was wrong and what wrong was said.... also doenst give a damn f**k about that actor or his tv shows, so probably not that much itnerested

-1point

spyder199ed 5 months ago

Lmao. Tarfs

-1point

Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

British actor Matt Smith proved himself to be a real LGBTQ+ ally and friend

**Matt subtly corrected interviewer Sue Perkins, who misgendered his House of the Dragon co-star Emma D’Arcy**

Emma identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns

In the House of the Dragon Season 1 finale, Daemon (Matt) informs Rhaenyra (Emma) about her son’s death

“It is that easy,” a reader commented

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Sue Perkins Apologizes After Matt Smith Elegantly Corrects Her When She Misgenders His Co-Star

British actor Matt Smith proved himself to be a real LGBTQ+ ally and friend

Matt subtly corrected interviewer Sue Perkins, who misgendered his House of the Dragon co-star Emma D’Arcy

Emma identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns

In the House of the Dragon Season 1 finale, Daemon (Matt) informs Rhaenyra (Emma) about her son’s death

“It is that easy,” a reader commented

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**Matt subtly corrected interviewer Sue Perkins, who misgendered his House of the Dragon co-star Emma D’Arcy**

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