House of the Dragon stars discuss (still) filming HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel

Considering its the most anticipated new show of 2022, we’ve heard fairly little in the opening weeks of the year about House of the Dragon, HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff. We know it’s coming out in 2022, but we’ve no idea when. The last real detail we got was when the teaser trailer dropped back in October.

As of now, the show is still filming. Paddy Considine, who plays King Viserys I Targaryen, recently talked a bit about his work on the series while he was out promoting his band’s newest single, “Carapace of Glass.” Considine doesn’t just act; he’s also written and directed the films Tyrannosaur and Journeyman, has featured in music videos from bands like the Arctic Monkeys, and regularly tours with his own band Riding the Low.

Paddy Considine is still filming House of the Dragon

NME asked Considine if it was hard to balance his career with work on House of the Dragon. “Oh God, you have no idea!” Considine said. “I’m still doing Thrones now. I’m supposed to finish in three weeks time. This has been the most demanding thing I’ve ever done, not least because it’s the only thing I’ve done that’s lasted for this length of time. It’s been a really long job.”

“I play King Viserys Targaryen,” he continued. “I did watch the show before, and I really enjoyed it. This is set 200 years before the beginning of Thrones and it’s the story of the Targaryen dynasty.”

It’s cool to know that Considine was a fan of Game of Thrones before he took a trip to Westeros himself. We’re looking forward to seeing his take on King Viserys, who is generally regarded as an even-tempered Targaryen king, albeit one who left a contentious legacy.

NME also asked if Considine would ever consider appearing on the show as a musical guest, in the way that Sigur Ross or Wilco did during Game of Thrones. “Following the king, Mr. Wilco Johnson, would be hard,” he said. “The truth is, I wouldn’t want these worlds to meet at all. It’s very easy to get sucked into the [acting] world and get insecure and paranoid thinking about where your next job is coming from and all that. I’m grateful to have something that isn’t tarnished by that, something I can do away from this, that’s my own artistic endeavor. I love doing this.”

Olivia Cooke’s wig on House of the Dragon is very heavy

Considine isn’t the only House of the Dragon star making the rounds. Olivia Cooke, who plays Viserys’ second wife Queen Alicent Hightower in the show, was on the Before The Lights podcast to talk a bit about the craft of acting. Cooke couldn’t say much about her work on House of the Dragon owing to the mountainous pile of paperwork swearing everyone attached to the show to secrecy. But she did talk a little bit about the extremely heavy wig she has to wear for roughly 14 hours a day while filming. Apparently it’s so heavy that it’s given her neck cramps throughout production. “I said to the costume designer, I can only do this for this scene because I am in agony. Absolute agony. Hazard of the job, you know what I mean? I suffer for my art, really, which is what it all boils down,” she joked.

House of the Dragon will be coming out sometime in 2022. We can only hope that Cooke won’t have to film too many more scenes with that heavy get-up before then.

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