'House of The Dragon' on HBO: Paddy Considine reveals he based Viserys' character on his mother
Paddy Considine is known for his movies like 'The World's End,' and 'Dead Man's Shoes' and is now starring in HBO's highly-anticipated 'The House of Dragon' - the story of the Targaryen civil war that took place about 300 years before the events portrayed in 'Game of Thrones.' The show is based on the book 'Fire & Blood' by George R R Martin and composed by Ramin Djawadi.
In the forthcoming series, Considine plays King Viserys Targaryen, the compassionate ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and ancestor to Emilia Clarke’s character Daenarys Targaryen. In a recent interview Considine revealed that he based his performance in the 'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon' on his mother.
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Who is King Viserys I Targaryen?
King Viserys I Targaryen also known as 'The Young King' is supposed to be the fifth Targaryen king to rule the seven kingdoms. Viserys succeeded his grandfather, Jaeharys I Targaryen’s throne after being elected by the Great Council amongst all the 14 contenders who had potential claims to the throne. Viserys’ reign is considered the high-water mark of power for House Targaryen. During his 55 years on the throne, the realm is thriving, the smallfolk are content, dragons grow in great numbers, and so does the family. He marries his cousin Aemma Arryn at an early age and they have a daughter, Rhaenyra. Viserys was known as a warm, kind, and decent man. After Aemma dies the king remarries Alicent Hightower, and things start to get testy in the Red Keep and there is a sense of tension about who will be the next successor of the throne.
During a conversation with The Independent, Paddy Considine was asked about the role of King Viserys I and what he did to prepare for the role. Considine knew he couldn't do justice to the role if he went with the headset of 'I am the king' and he needed a more human approach to the role, someone kind, generous, and understanding so he resorted to someone more real, his mother. He answered the question by saying: "The last thing you do when you play a king is gone, ‘I’m the king.’ All you’ve got to do is be you, a human, and be compassionate. Lose the crown, lose the pomp, lose the bulls***, just play the person. And when I played Viserys Targaryen, I just played my mum, you know. That’s what I played – my mother.
She was just an anchor for me. I loved her very much. But she was a woman who became very, very sick. She had diabetes. She lost sight in both of her eyes. And she lost both of her legs. She was in a terrible, terrible state. But I think she hid inside her illness, and that made it worse for her.”
“It was a lot for us and everyone around to care for her, whereas she needed to care for herself, too. And that’s what this character does, eventually, you know ... he becomes very sick and hides in his illness.” Considine added.
'House of The Dragon' is set to release on August 21, 2022.
