Paddy Considine On Whether His Character In House Of The Dragon Is Fundamentally A Good Man

The Iron Throne has a new king to sit upon it ... at least for the time being. Paddy Considine plays King Viserys I Targaryen, who, as we've seen in the first episode of "House of the Dragon," is the new ruler after succeeding Jaehaerys I Targaryen. But naturally, no one can be king forever. That's where the inherent conflict of the latest HBO series comes into play.

Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) believes he has a right to the throne, seeing as he's the next male heir. After all, he's the brother of King Viserys, so it should naturally go to him. But there's another worthy successor standing right in front of everybody, and it's Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock). Wherever there's a Westeros, there's bound to be strife and conflict right around the corner. 

Looper had the chance to chat with Considine during a "House of the Dragon" roundtable where he spoke at length about his new character. During this discussion, he brought up what's arguably the most important consideration for all rulers: Is Viserys a good man?

What makes a good man and what makes a good leader are two completely different things. Paddy Considine understands that profoundly, and while he fundamentally believes that King Viserys is a good man, he questions whether that makes him apt to lead. As the actor put it, "He is a good moral man. I just don't think he was cut out to be king in the way that people wanted. No. He's a peacetime king."

With such personality traits, it's no wonder it puts him at odds with his brother, Daemon. From the first episode of "House of the Dragon," it's apparent that Daemon craves power and has no qualms over resorting to violence to get it. "[Viserys is] the complete opposite of Daemon," Considine went on to explain. "I think he's actually inherently a good person. But being king, you're having to serve different people and all their needs and the things that they want."

As a result of his lack of bloodlust, King Viserys might be perceived by some of his people as weak. But he merely wants there to be peace for as long as possible — and that may just prove to be his undoing, as Considine concluded by saying, "He's living in a bit of a fantasy to begin with until things go bad for him."

"House of the Dragon" airs new episodes every Sunday on HBO Max.