Viewers knew King Viserys’ days were numbered from the very first scenes of House of the Dragon. The king wasted away, week after week, plagued by a form of leprosy, losing body parts, and developing grotesque boils. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction in his court grew over his choice of heir: his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Viserys Targaryen was unlike any other Westeros ruler we’d seen thus far. Despite being an ‘unremarkable’ king with no glorious wars to his name, King Viserys maintained peace and stability in a fractured kingdom that was quick to bloodshed at a moment’s notice.
Paddy Considine’s role as King Viserys in House of the Dragon
Paddy Considine, the English actor who plays King Viserys in the HBO series House of the Dragon, recently stated that his younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen portrayed by Matt Smith, is not someone he can trust to take over the kingdom of Westeros.
“Daemon is unpredictable; he’s like an addict in that you never know what he’ll do next,” he said.
Not only his older brother but also his closest advisors, including Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, was also against Daemon ascending the throne, but for his own personal gains.
“And Viserys becoming King has thrown a huge chasm between them,” he added. House of the Dragon is a fascinating saga that immerses us in the extraordinary world of Westeros and delves into the Targaryen family at their peak, the all-powerful family of dragon riders who appear to be invincible rulers of the seven kingdoms.
The biggest mistake made by King Viserys according to Paddy Considine
Of course, leave it to Considine to provide a thoughtful, nuanced, and heartfelt response to the question. “I think he neglected to be a good father to his second family,” the actor told THR, breaking my heart instantly. He went on:
“I think he neglected to put any effort into those children. They didn’t like him. I was on set one day and one of the actors playing one of my sons said, ‘You hate us.’ And I went, ‘What?’ What do you mean? That I hate you as people — as Paddy [the actor] hates you?’ And he was like, ‘No, Viserys hates us, because you hate your children.’ I was like, wow, that’s amazing. That was so profound for him to say that.”
Viserys doesn’t hate his children, but he doesn’t care for them as he does for Rhaenyra. That is the tragedy of Viserys I, a man who did not want to be king. In his pursuit of doing a good job in his responsibility, he was doomed to the entire kingdom.
He married Alicent out of a sense of duty to the realm. But he failed to consider the consequences of his actions, as well as how his actions would affect others.
Then again, that wasn’t the biggest mistake. Instead, it was giving a speech that made Alicent believe he supported her son’s claim to the throne over Rhaenyra despite it actually being the prophecy of Aegon the Conqueror to defeat the White Walkers. Finally, the Dance of the Dragons was caused by a dying man’s mumblings, who also failed to see how having multiple royals with the same name would cause problems. Nevertheless, the most ‘unremarkable’ king of Westeros did give one of the most memorable performances in recent times, which will surely get an Emmy nod as expected by fans.
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
