George R.R. Martin Praises Paddy Considine’s King Viserys in House of the Dragon

Episode 8 of House of the Dragon was an emotional ride for fans as they witnessed the end of King Viserys I Targaryen’s reign. Yes, this episode concluded with the demise of the beloved king, who finally reunited with the love of his life, Queen Aemma. 

And Paddy Considine’s performance was what moved fans through every moment of the episode. The actor took his job seriously and delivered his final episode with some of the finest moments in television history. 

Considine’s performance was so emotional that George R.R. Martin, author of the book series, praised King Viserys after the episode aired.

The actor said in an interview, “I got a text message that simply said: ‘Your Viserys is better than my Viserys’. It was from George RR Martin. And I thought: that’ll do it. Thanks for trusting me.” It indeed is a great achievement when an author prefers a character’s performance on-screen over the role in their book.

Fans praise Episode 8 of House of the Dragon, “The Lord of the Tides,” as by far the best episode of Season 1. It marked King Viserys’ final moments of his life, his last royal appearance, his last supper with the family, and finally reuniting with his wife.

It is also worth noting that the emotional exchange between Paddy Considine’s King Viserys I Targaryen and Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen in the Throne room was completely improvised! That moment seemed like a much-needed turning point in their relationship. Feeling welled up, aren’t we?

The episode director Greeta Patel said, “When we were shooting that — I think the rehearsal again, the first day — the crown fell off of Paddy’s head and Matt picked it up and we just kept going. We didn’t stop [filming]. There was a discovery there of this moment.”