House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine admits that his aversion to dragons made him decline a chance to audition for HBO’s Game of Thrones.
In an interview with The Times, Considine revealed that the moment he heard the word ‘dragons’, he dismissed the offer without ever glancing at the script.
“He said, ‘It’s about dragons. I went, ‘No thanks.’ I didn’t even read it.”
Despite the phenomenal success of the show, Considine remains stoic about the missed opportunity as he tends to be instinctual about selecting roles.
Luckily, Considine watched Game of Thrones with his wife during the coronavirus lockdown. The show changed his mind about dragons — a good thing as he was offered a starring role in House of the Dragon shortly after.
House of the Dragon takes place two hundred years prior to the events of Game of Thrones. The British actor won the coveted role of King Viserys I Targaryen, the most powerful ruler in the history of the Seven Kingdoms with more than fifteen dragons under his command.
During his reign, a power struggle arises between the king’s quick-tempered brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his hypergamous hand Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). Prince Daemon is married to king’s daughter and heir Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Ser Otto is the father of the king’s second wife, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Ser Otto’s wish to see his bloodline ascend to the Iron Throne sees him plot against Rhaenyra’s succession due to her gender.
The series also stars Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling.
House of the Dragon premieres on Aug. 22, 2022.