In just a few days, Paddy Considine will assume the Iron Throne as Viserys I Targaryen, whose turbulent reign as the new king of Westeros is depicted in HBO’s long-awaited Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon. The new series takes place 200 years before its (mostly) critically-acclaimed predecessor. However, it turns out Considine could have visited the Seven Kingdoms much earlier (or later, depending on your perspective). While speaking with Total Film (via GamesRadar+), Considine recalled passing on HBO’s flagship Game of Thrones series before the first season had even started production.
During the interview, Considine explained how he prefers to avoid the audition process altogether. So it came as a stroke of good luck that he was offered the role of Viserys in House of the Dragon. Regardless, this wasn’t the case with Game of Thrones. Back then, the producers merely sent him the script for an early episode to gauge his interest. But it sounds like the story didn’t make much sense to him at the time.
“I don’t know, I mean there isn’t one [part] because they were all cast so well and it was great,” said Considine. “And that’s the thing, it wasn’t like I was offered anything. I was just literally sent the first script, I think the first episode. I read it, and in full honesty here […] I couldn’t quite make head nor tail of it.”
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“And when someone sends you a script and says, ‘Oh just read any character and see how you react,’ I go, ‘Uhhh, what am I supposed to be looking at here?’” added Considine. “And then my agent at the time described the bones of it, you know. It’s about all these kingdoms and there’s a Throne. And I was just a bit like, ‘Oh, really?’ That’s not for me.”
Fortunately, Considine had all eight seasons of Game of Thrones to refer to when deciding if he wanted to join the cast House of the Dragon. And clearly, everything worked out for the best, because he seems to have genuinely enjoyed working on the upcoming prequel.
“I wouldn’t be Viserys Targyren now, would I?” said Considine. “So it’s all meant to be.”
House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO this Sunday, August 21 at 9pm.
Who do you think Considine could have played in the original series? Tell us your ideas in the comment section below!
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