House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine revealed how he felt about THAT harrowing scene from the premiere; the moment he read what was in store for his character, he ‘loved’ it. Even though it did leave the audience in tears and sort of reeling from the impact of it all, he also said that the birthing scene was much more ‘traumatic.’
BEWARE! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The prequel series is no less than a rollercoaster along with vicious jousting tournaments, a too-graphic castration, and an utterly devastating double death, everything rivaling up to be a worthy successor for Game of Thrones.
On the other hand, Considine, who plays King Viserys Targaryen, finds the drama to be quite a blessing as he felt weirdly grateful for Viserys’ ‘brutal’ narrative.
One of the most notable scenes includes when he becomes a widower as his wife Aemma loses her life in childbirth, and soon after, the son he so desperately wanted – despite his fractured relationship with his daughter Rhaenyra – also follows in his mother’s footsteps, making the utterly painful and barbaric cesarian all in vain.
While talking to LADbible regarding this scene and Viserys’ storyline, Considine said,
“Bizarrely, I loved it. Because he goes on a massive arc in the first episode alone, and that’s what you want. I’ve done series in the past where you just kind of wander through it, and with little or no impact.”
“And I’m like, well, in the first episode alone, there’s things that happened to this character that affect him for the rest of his life. And so, to me, I thought it was great when I read the first three episodes when I first got sent it.”
Considine added: “I thought he was an absolute gift.”
The first episode contains a particularly harrowing labour scene. Credit: HBO/Sky
But of course, filming such difficult scenes doesn’t come without its challenges. Specifically, the torturous labor sequence involves Viserys handing down a death sentence to his own wife when he orders the doctors to cut his unborn child from Aemma’s womb while she’s still alive.
“It was tough on Sian [Brooke], who played Aemma, because she had to do all the physical stuff, and those things are very technical – with all the pumps of blood and things going on, and prosthetic bellies and things.”
“And part of the art is that you’re acting through all of that distracting stuff. She had the weight of the work on her that day.
“They’re never pleasant, but I think when you’re working with good people, you just invest that bit more.
“And what we shot was more traumatic than what makes it into the series. Viserys was utterly destroyed. But I guess they couldn’t really show that.”
“Bizarrely, I didn’t [feel pressure],” he revealed.
“Not from the weight of it at all, or even the weight of expectation, because within this case, I seem to be quite good at not taking that on, and then it’s not my responsibility – my responsibility is to play the role.
“[…] And I knew that was an impossible thing to carry. So I never considered it. I just went, ‘I’m just going to do my best and play this character.”
Fans Reaction to the House of the Dragon Premiere
Fans took to Twitter to applaud Paddy Considine’s portrayal of King Viserys Targaryen.
One fan (@HOTDsource) said Paddy Considine as King Viserys performed outstandingly. The tweet received over 2.7k likes:
The stand out performance in episode 1 in my opinion came from Paddy Considine as King Viserys, he captivated every scene he was in, and put on an absolute acting masterclass, he’s definitely going for an Emmy. #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/u1FcvGZtNk
— House Of The Dragon Source (@HOTDsource) August 22, 2022
Another fan (@peregrinnno) said they couldn’t have asked for a better Viserys:
What an amazing performance by Paddy Considine. Couldn't ask for a better Viserys #HouseOfTheDragonHBO pic.twitter.com/lcuykmFn5U
— Cæsar ?- Commissions open (@peregrinnno) August 22, 2022
@xoxogossipgita declared how Paddy Considine deserves an Emmy for his performance:
The only purpose of House of the Dragon seems to be getting Paddy Considine an Emmy and for this reason I support it
— Italian Elon Musk (@xoxogossipgita) August 22, 2022
@Taeheavenly_ appreciated the series creator started off House of the Dragon by paying tribute to one of the most legendary characters of Game of Thrones:
The 1st episode of House of the Dragon begins with the phrase "183 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen…"
What a beautiful tribute. In the end it's all about her! Azor ahai reborn. #HouseoftheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/PfhHDrhra1
— the rogue prince (@Taeheavenly_) August 19, 2022
@Rhaenyra_Blacks highlighted the horrors of Queen Aemma’s childbirth scene, and how she undeservingly got punished for giving birth to the King’s child:
Can we talk about Queen Aemma's "childbirth" and the horrors that came with it? Her face when she realized what was gonna be done to her and during the process was heartbreaking. She did NOT deserve all that.#HouseoftheDragon #HouseOfTheDragonHBO pic.twitter.com/JmZEMyEsLw
— ??????? ? ????????? (@Rhaenyra_Blacks) August 22, 2022
Another Twitter user showed sympathy and support towards the series’ first victim of brutality, Queen Aemma, saying:
Queen Aemma trusted him and he really let them hold her down and cut her open like that ? I hope she haunts King Viserys for the rest of his days Justice for Aemma #QueenAemma #HOTD #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/7JVi2OFXpi
— ?ToyToy? (@Toytoydiva) August 22, 2022
Make sure to tune into House of the Dragon weekly on HBO and HBO Max in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. In case you do not reside within these territories, here’s how you can watch House of the Dragon.
Chris Mack
