After Episode 8 of House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine bid farewell to the character of Viserys Targaryen. Her performance, praised by fans, also touched author George RR Martin.
Warning, spoilers. It is recommended that you have seen the first eight episodes of House of the Dragon before continuing to read this article.
Episode 8 of House of the Dragon marked fans for its many family twists as the Targaryens, Velaryons and Hightowers all come together around King Viserys I. And they did well to be by his side one last time since the character played by Paddy Considine breathed his last at the end of the episode.
His death moved many fans, who adored the actor’s performance as the king who made mistakes and fell seriously ill. But fans aren’t the only ones who found Paddy Considine masterful in the Game of Thrones prequel series.
A future Emmy Award for Paddy Considine?
Very touched by the reaction of the fans, Paddy Considine posted a message on his Instagram account to thank the public but also the entire House of the Dragon team. He particularly thanked his acting partner Sian Brooke, who played his first wife Aemma in the pilot, and for whom he improvised his last words – “My love” – in his final scene:
“Thank you for the kind words. I can’t respond to all the comments, but I want to acknowledge that they haven’t escaped my attention. It was an amazing adventure where I made a lot of new friends that I’ll keep it for life. I want to thank the creators for giving me the freedom to make Viserys my own. I’ve never loved a character so much.
I want to give massive love and respect to Sian Brooke, who only came for a few days but changed the trajectory of my character with her brilliant performance and commitment to the job. Its impact remained engraved in me until my last improvised words. She unlocked the missing piece of the puzzle in me and made my story come full circle.
From the moment she dies, so does Viserys. It was a love story. This is the secret I took with me. As ill as he is, he himself never demands healing. He quietly accepts his suffering, never forgiving himself for putting his beloved wife through such torture in her final moments. Viserys was a gift. I’m so honored that he found me. Now it’s over.“
Separately, the actor revealed that George RR Martin, author of the Game of Thrones novels, praised his performance and texted him during an interview for GQ Hype : “I got a text that just said, ‘Your Viserys is better than my Viserys’. It was from George RR Martin. And I thought that would be fine with me. Thanks for trusting me.”
The novelist himself shared his admiration for Paddy Considine in a post on his personal blog. George RR Martin even thinks that the actor’s performance will earn him an award at the next Emmy Awards ceremony:
“Sunday’s episode, ‘Lord of the Tides’, was everything I hoped for. Kudos to screenwriter Eileen Shim, director Geeta Patel, our amazing cast…and especially Paddy Considine, for his portrayal of the King Viserys, the first of his name.
The character he created (along with Ryan and Sara and Ti and the rest of our writers) for the show is so much more powerful and tragic and visceral than my own version in ‘Fire and Blood’ that I’m almost tempted to go back to back and tear out my chapters and rewrite the whole story of his reign. Paddy deserves an Emmy just for this episode. If he doesn’t get one, there’s no justice.”
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House of the Dragon is available on OCS.