Paddy Considine, who portrays King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon, recently revealed that once George R.R. Martin texted him praising his performance in the show. The actor said that Martin mentioned how well he played the role when compared with the source character. With that being said, Paddy Considine starred as a king who struggles and thrives to keep his kingdom safe in the first eight episodes of season 1.
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In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, Considine said:
“I got a text message that simply said: ‘Your Viserys is better than my Viserys. It was from George R.R. Martin. And I thought: ‘That’ll do it. Thanks for trusting me.”
In this regard, recently, Martin also publicly praised Considine for his performance in the series. He mentioned that:
“King Viserys Targaryen I, as portrayed by Paddy Considine on the show, is better than the way I wrote King Viserys in ‘Fire & Blood.’ He’s stronger, he’s still conflicted, but he’s more of a tragic figure. He has King Lear aspects to him, if I may dare [say] that, and that’s made his portrayal really interesting to watch in the show.”
Talking with GQ Magazine, the 49-year-old actor also discussed the character’s compassionate rule over Westeros. He added:
“There’s this perception that he’s weak, which I think is absolutely nonsense. He’s just too compassionate for the job. I think the sense of duty is what got to him. What I found really interesting about him was that he wasn’t corrupted by power. He just wanted peace. He wanted people to be happy at the end of the day, but that makes him weak.”
What do you think about Paddy Considine’s role in the series? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more: Who was Viserys really talking about before his death in Episode 8?
