When HBO was throwing dragons and swords at every actor they could find, Considine had the chance to join the GOT madness. But instead of jumping in, he tossed the script aside without so much as a second glance. As he told The Sunday Times, “It’s about dragons. I went, ‘No thanks.’ I didn’t even read it.”
Yep, you read that right. Before Game of Thrones became the massive, water-cooler-shattering juggernaut we know today, Paddy Considine wasn’t sold on the whole “fantasy” thing. At the time, the show was still a huge gamble, and HBO was facing a world of doubt. Dragons? Medieval politics? Fantasy fandom? Considine was all, “Pass,” and it turned out to be a decision he’d laugh at years later.
Looking back, it seems wild. But back then, Game of Thrones was a massive risk for HBO. There had been successful fantasy flicks, sure, but a sprawling TV series about dragons and the Iron Throne? The world wasn’t exactly waiting with bated breath. Heck, fantasy still carried a bit of that “nerd” label. Fast-forward a decade, though, and it was the TV show everyone was talking about, with 164 Emmy noms and 59 wins to prove it.
So what happens when a missed opportunity like this comes back around? Well, for Paddy, it came in the form of House of the Dragon. Fast-forward to the 2020s, and now he’s sitting on the throne (well, kind of—but you get it). The actor, who now plays the kind-hearted, though doomed King Viserys I Targaryen, couldn’t resist a second shot at the Game of Thrones universe. As he told The Sunday Times, the magic of Westeros had finally won him over. During lockdown, he and his family watched Game of Thrones together, and something clicked.
And then… the call came. Considine jumped at the chance to join the prequel, starring as Viserys in House of the Dragon. This time, he was all in. It’s funny how life works—missing out on one dragon-filled epic led him straight into another. He might have skipped dragons once, but now he’s in the thick of it with 17 of them surrounding him.
The best part? It all worked out. The actor has gone from dodging dragons to becoming part of one of the biggest fantasy shows on TV. As HBO describes his character: “A warm, kind, and decent man,” Viserys is chosen to succeed his grandfather, the Old King. The twist? That doesn’t always make for the best ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
So, while Game of Thrones might’ve been a “no thanks” for Considine back then, House of the Dragon is his crown now. Funny how one “No” can lead to something bigger. But let’s be real—if he’d joined GoT back then, we wouldn’t have had the House of the Dragon king we know and love today. Fate, right?
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