Paddy Considine was the first choice to play King Viserys on House of the Dragon
By Corey Smith
HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series officially has its first cast member: Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen. How was he chosen?
Not long ago, we learned of the first actor cast in HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon: Irish actor Paddy Considine will play King Viserys I (not that Viserys), an amiable Targaryen monarch who ruled over 100 years before the events of the original show. House of the Dragon will explore the brutal civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which starts after King Viserys dies and several would-be successors vie to fill his seat on the Iron Throne.
We recently talked to House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, who told us that Considine was their first choice for the role:
"He’s just an incredible actor. Honestly, we didn’t talk about anyone else, as soon as his name came up. He can do anything, you look at his body of work, and he’s done everything from comedy to dark drama, he’s an incredibly gifted actor. We know he can pull of anything that we give him to do."
On Game of Thrones, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss went after two actors specifically: Sean Bean (Ned Stark) and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister). And that worked out pretty well.
Considine is perhaps best known for his roles in Hot Fuzz and Peaky Blinders, a comedy and a drama, so he definitely does have versatility. He has an extensive screen catalog beyond that, in addition to some award-winning stage work.
His skill and experience could be perfect for a role like King Viserys, an essentially good man who nonetheless gave rise to a very barbaric time in Westerosi history. He was loved by the commoners and nobility alike for his generosity and was steadfast in his desire for peace, but is doomed to be remembered for the war fought for his throne.
We thank Condal for the time. Check out our interview with him and his podcast partner David Mandel below:
We’ll have to wait until 2022 to see how House of the Dragon pans out, but it appears to be off to a great start. Hopefully we can at least get more casting information before then…
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