Paddy Considine has immortalized Viserys in the public psyche thanks to his other-worldly performance in House of the Dragon. As the character’s journey comes to an end, though, the British actor has taken to Instagram to reflect on the journey and reveal the last piece of the puzzle in the king’s long ailment and death.
Viserys wasn’t a conqueror or a revolutionary. He didn’t commit to big changes or commit much to the governance of the realm beyond what was absolute necessity. He didn’t even care for the power or the responsibility that came with his office. But when all is said and done, he was among the Seven Kingdoms’ finer rulers, being neither cruel nor unwise.
The character always did what he had to, and stuck between the two factions vying for power within his kingdom, opted to maintain peace as much as possible. That, added to Paddy Considine’s charismatic portrayal, has turned him into one of the greatest Game of Thrones characters in history.
Now, Considine has taken the time to reveal the last secret of King Viserys. Thanking the fandom for all its support, here’s what he had to say about the suffering Targaryen monarch.
“From the moment she [Queen Aemma] dies, so does Viserys. It was a love story. That’s the secret I carried with me. As sick as he gets, he never, himself, demands any cure. He quietly accepts his suffering, never forgiving himself for putting his beloved wife through such torture in her final moments. Viserys was a gift. I am so honoured he found me. Now, no more.”
That piece of information certainly shines a new light on the character, and makes us love him even more, if that was possible. For Viserys, it seems, this was always a love story, and one ending in tragedy, at that.
And with that, it truly feels as if we’ve come to an end for Viserys. The king is dead. Long live the queen.