House of the Dragonstar Paddy Considine admitted to bursting into tears when confronted with Viserys' fate in the last episode of the show’s first season. The star revealed the details and their family’s reaction.
Debuting more than 3 years after the main Game of Thronesseries concluded,House of the Dragonserved as a prequel to that award-winning series set two centuries before the events ofGame of Thrones' first season.House of the Dragontakes its plot from Martin’s 2018 novelFire and Blood,which chronicles the succession war known as the Dance of the Dragons, a pivotal event that would start the Targaryens' downfall. WhileHouse of the Dragondeviated from the source materialin many ways, it was a resounding success.
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In an appearance onThe Adam Buxton Podcast,House of the Dragonleading man Considine opened up about his life experiences and how they affected his perception of the show’s critically acclaimed season finale. Considine’s performance was stellar, with writer Martin insisting thatConsidine’s portrayal of Viserys improved upon the book version. Setting the scene for the podcast host and audience, Considine said, “I didn’t watch episode eight but my wife had watched it, and my daughter, and they were pretty upset with it. My wife said, ‘Just watch the end. 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.”
“When [my wife] showed me that end thing and my face came up I just burst into tears because I looked at the image of my dad when he was dying, the image of him, and it was shocking. It was really, really shocking to me. I’d put so much of my mum’s characteristics into this character, Viserys, but when I saw that I thought ‘That’s my dad’ and it was terrifying,” Considine continued. “So, it was pretty impactful stuff.The King Viserys characterinHouse of the Dragon, I think that’s probably the greatest character I’ve ever played in my eyes. The story was right. The character was right.” Viserys’ ailment was deeply moving to audiences and the cast, relying heavily on prosthetics to create the unsettling effect.
While the finale has touched Considine deeply, it had a similarly strong effect on the audience, going a long way to grant the show its stellar outlook for a second season. While several otherGame of Thronesprojects have been cutdue to HBO Max changes,House of the Dragonwill be safe from this fate.
House of the Dragonseason 1 is available on HBO Max.
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