Posted in: Game Of Thrones, HBO, streaming, TV | Tagged: game of thrones, HBO, hbo max, house of the dragon, paddy considine

House of the Dragon Star's Ironic Reason for Passing on Game of Thones

There are those who regretfully pass up golden opportunities to become part of something special, like Sean Connery playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings or Will Smith playing Neo in The Matrix… and Paddy Considine with Game of Thrones. The difference this time around is that he got a second opportunity to be in the franchise (based on the George R. R. Martin works) with the HBO prequel House of the Dragon. Speaking with The Sunday Times (via Indiewire), the actor opened up about turning down being on the DB Weiss and David Benioff-created series.

How House of the Dragon Became Paddy Considine's Second Chance at Game of Thrones

"[My agent] said, 'It's about dragons,'" Considine said. "I went, 'No thanks.' I didn't even read it." In HOTD, which predates the events of GOT by 200 years, he plays King Viserys Targaryen at the time when the family reigned supreme across Westeros long before Daenerys'(Emilia Clarke) journey to the iron throne. Considine revealed that the character was inspired by his mother, who battled a serious case of diabetes. Watching the decline of someone he respected while seeing her maintain her kind spirit informed his portrayal of a king at a breaking point in his dynasty.

"If anything, Viserys was based on my mother. She was the most powerful woman I knew for a long time. Until she neglected herself," he said. "By the end of her life my mum had diabetes. I adored my mum. But her illness became her comfort zone. It was tragic to see that decline and I put that — plus her kindness and her love — into Viserys" The character is described as "chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather's legacy, but as we've learned from 'Game of Thrones,' good men do not necessarily make for great kings." House of the Dragon, which also stars Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Rhys Ifans, premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 21st.

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