The House Of The Dragon Episode That Made Paddy Considine Cry
Paddy Considine, the actor behind King Viserys on HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, enjoyed his time filming the show’s first season, even if he was unable to watch one episode. On a recent episode of The Adam Buxton Podcast, the actor opened up over just how much he put into the character and why it was episode eight that caused him to break down into tears. Considine was unable to watch the entire episode, instead just catching the ending at the urging of his wife and daughter.
House of the Dragon follows the Targaryean dynasty, the noble family that conquered Westeros 300 years before the start of Game of Thrones. Paddy Considine’s King Viserys, ascended to the throne in the show’s opening episode, but due to the over 30 years covered during season 1, ended his time on the show as an old man. It was his last episode, with Viserys suffering from illness and slowly wasting away, that broke down the actor, bringing back thoughts of his father.
As Considine explained to Adam Buxton, “Years ago, I’d watched my dad die of cancer and he just went downhill rapidly from being diagnosed to being on death’s door. You know, he became skeletal so rapidly.” The actor had placed a lot of his mom’s characteristics into his portrayal of House of the Dragon’s regent, but during his character’s final moments, that all changed.
The actor continued, “So, when [my wife] showed me that end thing and my face came up I just burst into tears because I looked the image of my dad when he was dying, the image of him, and it was shocking. It was really, really shocking to me.” Considine’s experience is not unique among actors, with many saying that they can not go back and watch their own work because of the emotional toll that the performance takes out of them. Viserys’ passing, while an emotional moment for the actor, is also a pivotal moment for House of the Dragon, setting up the conflict to come in season 2.
After the success of season 1, HBO quickly signed up for a second House of the Dragon season, which currently has no release date though estimates are pointing to 2024. The coming Targaryean civil war between Rheanyra and Aegon’s supporters, kickstarted after the shocking dragon duel at the end of the first season, sets the backdrop for the next season. House of the Dragon may not be the only Game of Thrones spin-off on the air for long, with HBO having confirmed a new Kit Harrington series that follows the story of Jon Snow, called, and this is real, Snow.
Despite the horrible final season that was so bad fans have been fundraising to remake it, Game of Thrones is still a massive hit for HBO. House of the Dragon has not reached the same numbers, but the season finale was the most watched season finale since Game of Thrones, with individual episodes picking up nearly 30 million viewers with streaming and DVRs taken into account. Paddy Considine’s time with the franchise may have ended, but the actor has an amazing character added to his resume, and like other famous actors, his death sets in motion every season left to come.
