House Of The Dragon's Paddy Considine Had One Big Fear About Joining The Series
"House of the Dragon" will surely make stars of its already established cast. After months of anticipation, the George R.R. Martin-led "Game of Thrones" prequel finally debuted to glowing reviews from both fans and critics. The demand for the series — set nearly two centuries before Daenerys Targaryen's attempts to take control of the Iron Throne — was so high that the HBO Max app crashed when the debut episode was available on Sunday night. The Hollywood Reporter was able to quantify the demand for the fantasy-drama series, revealing that nearly 10 million Targaryen purists tuned in for the debut, making it HBO's most-watched premiere.
With all eyes back on the world of "Game of Thrones," the lives of the cast members are forever about to change. The cast of "House of the Dragon" is rounded out with a series of internationally recognized actors, British soap opera veterans, and relatively unknown stars. In terms of peak recognizability, there's Daemon Targaryen actor Matt Smith, who has spent the last decade under the limelight thanks to his stints as Doctor Who and Milo in the memefied "Morbius." On the complete opposite spectrum is Rhaenyra Targaryen actor Emma D'Arcy, who only has a handful of credits under their belt.
And wedged in the middle is Paddy Considine, who has enjoyed a steady career as a thespian for over two decades. Prior to joining on as King Viserys, Considine had one big real-life fear before he became the patriarch of House Targaryen.
He was afraid of the attention House of the Dragon would bring
In an interview with Collider, Paddy Considine, who plays the stressed out and injured King Viserys, was asked if he was excited to take on the role or hesitant because of the intense commitment. "It was a bit of both. It's not that you don't want to take on the role, but there's a big chance that you'll lose your anonymity," the English actor said. You might find that the Viseys actor looks familiar. A brief look at Considine's filmography reveals that he was in Edgar Wright's "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End," as well as the Matt Damon-led "The Bourne Ultimatum." On the television side, he has appeared in the hit crime series "Peaky Blinders" as the recurring Father John Hughes. Ultimately, "House of the Dragon," as revealed by the frenzy surrounding it, is Considine's most popular show.
The actor continued by discussing how he was fearful of having his quaint life change after "House of the Dragon." Despite not wanting to sacrifice his anonymity, Considine opened up about how it would be naive to assume no one was interested in the "Game of Thrones" spin-off. "But you equally can't go into something like this that's already established and be surprised that there will be global interest in the show," the "Macbeth" actor said. Considine discussed how he wasn't afraid to take on the role, especially after revealing that he was the first actor approached by HBO to portray the tragic Viserys.