After an entire season of House of the Dragon, it would be hard to imagine King Viserys I Targaryen played by anyone but Paddy Considine, and fortunately – we never have to.
Half a year after the season finale of House of the Dragon aired, Considine reminisced about the experience with Variety, talking a bit about his iconic role as the protector of the realm. Surprisingly, the actor also admitted his disbelief when presented with the opportunity to play the Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel, wondering why anyone would turn down the role. In reality, showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik never even contemplated any other actor for the role, adding to the actor’s astonishment.
“I said, ‘Who’s turned this down?’ Because I’m cynical that way,” he says. “My agent was like, ‘I assure you, they’re just coming to you for it.’”
Despite already having been a prominent figure in Hollywood in the 2000s, most of Considine’s roles came from lesser-known films such as In America, My Summer of Love and Cinderella Man. For this reason, Considine wholeheartedly believed the showrunners would have no idea who he was. “I felt like I couldn’t break free from it,” the actor said, “I was happy to act. But I just felt like I was capable of so much more than what I was being given to play with.”
Thankfully, Condal and Sapochnik saw the vision before anyone else did. Finally able to showcase his talent in House of the Dragon, the role of Viserys could have never belonged to anyone else. For any fans who may not remember, the character developed a degenerative disease through the season (likely a form of leprosy), so the return of the King is very unlikely, but we can all hope for a flashback or two just to see him back again.
House of the Dragon season 2 has already resumed shooting, but an official release date has yet to be unveiled.