House of the Dragon actor Paddy Considine received high praise from writer and show creator George R.R. Martin saying that he is a better version of Martin’s character from the books.
In an interview with GQ, Considine shared a text he received from Martin. In it, Martin praised Considine’s character Viserys Targaryen on the HBO show. Viserys is the king of Westeros and has to rule his kingdom as well as balance his family’s rivalry for the crown when he dies.
George R.R. Martin Praises Paddy Considine’s Viserys
“I got a text message that simply said: ‘Your Viserys is better than my Viserys,” Considine said. “It was from George R.R. Martin. And I thought: ‘That’ll do it. Thanks for trusting me.'”
Texting isn’t the only way Martin knows how to give his dues. He has publicly said the he believes Considine’s version of King Viserys is better than the one in the books.
“King Viserys Targaryen I, as portrayed by Paddy Considine on the show, is better than the way I wrote King Viserys in ‘Fire & Blood,'” Martin said. “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.”
Show Compared to the Book
In Martin’s defense, the show gets to focus more on King Viserys’ dynasty whereas in the book Fire and Blood, Martin wasn’t able to build out Viserys. Considine has done a brilliant job and the cast for House of the Dragon has been amazing for the most part. They have gone beyond anything I could have imagined and expect to see some the actors from this show to become big names going forward.
Considine Disagrees About King Viserys Being Weak
In the GQ interview, Considine defended the character that he plays on the show.
“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,” Considine said. “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.”
Considine went on to say “So what would have made him more relatable — if he was a dictator? If he was a tyrant? Would that be more satisfying? It’s not who he is.”