House Of The Dragon: 10 Facts About Paddy Considine You Probably Didn’t Know | Pretty Reel

Paddy Considine won acclaim for his role as King Viserys Tagaryen on the HBO series House of The Dragon with George RR Martin even saying he made Viserys a better character than the book version. Not only did he bring the role to life, but he added more dimensions and complexity to the character, transforming him from just a weak king into a good human being and father.

Long before the Game of Thrones prequel, Paddy Considine had a number of high-profile roles, including Hot Fuzz and Peaky Blinders, but his starring role in the new series earned him a legion of new fans. Those previously unaware of Considine’s talents will likely ignore these fascinating facts about the actor.

While autism has been frequently portrayed in film and television, its treatment in the media has come under criticism from the autistic community, primarily because they rarely feature autistic actors. In a rare example of portrayal, Paddy Considine revealed that he was, in fact, autistic.

Considine was officially diagnosed with autism in her early thirties. Although he didn’t play a canonically autistic character, he’s proud to represent the community, saying his diagnosis “has allowed me to make sense of things I didn’t understand before – and allows me to move forward in my life” (via The Telegraph).

9/10 He co-wrote and starred in an Arctic Monkeys music video

Many actors, especially early in their careers, starred in music videos because they provide a platform to hone their acting skills, much like short films. This is also the case of Paddy Considine, who played in the video for the song “Leave Before The Lights Come On” by the Arctic Monkeys.

Considine stars as a man who meets a woman when her shoe lands on her head from the roof of a building, and their relationship soon begins to deteriorate. Considine also co-wrote the rather cinematic clip (via IMDb).

8/10 George RR Martin prefers his version of Viserys to his

Game of Thrones fans who have read the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which the House of The Dragon series is based have praised Paddy Considine’s performance, as he nails Viserys’ ways as depicted in the books. No praise, however, has been as high as that of Game of Thrones series writer George RR Martin himself.

George RR Martin criticized how the original series portrayed some of his books, but praised what House of The Dragon has done so far. Martin called the cast “fantastic”, especially Paddy Considine, saying “the character [Considine] created (with Ryan and Sara and Ti and the rest of our writers) for the show is so much more powerful and tragic and fully carnal than my own version”.

7/10 RuPaul’s drag race influenced his performance as Viserys

Although he’s an actor, Paddy Considine is a pretty big fan of reality TV — so much so that he incorporated his fandom into House of The Dragon. Considine is an avowed fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race and has revealed that the camper side of drag suits his character, using a drag persona he made up called “Lucius” (via The Late Late Show on YouTube).

Paddy posted a video on Instagram of himself on set of House of The Dragon as Viserys said some of his best lines and strutted around. He paraphrases a saying from RuPaul’s Drag Race, saying “She serves reality Targaryen!” (via Paddy Considine on Instagram).

6/10 He was a photographer

Many stars of stage and film have had prior careers before breaking into the industry, and this was also the case for Paddy Considine. Before he had even seriously considered going into acting, Considine trained and worked as a photographer.

Considine studied photography at the University of Brighton, leaving with a first class degree. Although he didn’t stay in that career, Paddy explained that “I learned to be an artist in Brighton, that’s where I finally understood those feelings and emotions that were going through my head” (via The Guardian).

5/10 He made movies

Many famous actors, when they had enough experience on a film set and worked closely with directors, ventured into directing their own films. Paddy Considine has directed three movies himself — Journeyman (2017), Tyrannosaur (2011), and the short Dog Altogether (2007) (via IMDb).

Considine’s films have been acclaimed by critics and moviegoers. His film Tyrannosaur won the World Cinema Drama award at the Sundance Film Festival (via Reuters).

4/10 Gary Oldman convinced him to direct

Paddy Considine was initially hesitant to enter the film world, having previously only worked as an actor and photographer. He did, however, receive encouragement from a fairly famous face.

Paddy co-starred alongside actor Gary Oldman in the film Backwoods (2006). During filming, Considine wrote the script for her short Dog Alltogether and Oldman read it. Oldman told Considine he liked the script, which helped the film win a BAFTA, where Considine thanked him for his encouragement (via The Guardian).

3/10 He can play the drums

Besides being an exceptionally talented actor and director, Paddy Considine’s creative gifts also extend to music. He is also a drummer for the band Riding The Low, and the band released their first EP in 2009.

The rock band released their third studio album in 2022 and toured as the opening act for The Charlatans in 2019. “When I do an acting role, even though I want to own it, I find you’re really, really compromised “, said Considine, “But when I make music, I just feel complete freedom. It’s the truest form of expression I have that is uncompromising, he explained (via NME).

2/10 He has already been offered a role in Game of Thrones

Long before playing Viserys in House of The Dragon, Paddy Considine was being considered for another role in the Game of Thrones universe. Before the original series became a smash hit with huge audiences, Considine was given the first Game of Thrones script for the show by his agent, after being scouted for a role by the show’s producers.

Considine admitted he “couldn’t understand” the script, and when his agent described it as a show where people fight for the throne and there were dragons, Considine said “no”. However, he said it was meant to be and that he was dragged into the “fantasy” scripts of House of The Dragon (via The Late Late Show on YouTube).

1/10 He is nominated for the Tony Awards

Along with having a long career in film and television, Paddy Considine has also ventured into acting. He’s only had one credited theater role so far, as the lead in The Ferryman, a 2017 play following a family during The Troubles in Northern Ireland following the disappearance of a member of family.

Paddy Considine has played the character of Quinn Carney on both sides of the Atlantic, in the West End and on Broadway. The role was a huge hit for the actor and was nominated for an Olivier Award in the UK and a Tony Award in the US (via Deadline).