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House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine defends Viserys in controversial birth scene: ‘He’s not a bad guy by any means’-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
‘The decision he makes changes him for the rest of his life,’ the actor said.
The reign of House Targaryen begins. (Credits: © 2022 Home Box Office, Inc. Al)
Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 1 and content warning for references to birth trauma and baby loss.
House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine as hit back at fans for getting ‘confused a little bit’ about King Viserys Targaryen’s fatal decision during his wife’s birth.
The opening episode of the Game of Thrones prequel series sees the Hot Fuzz actor’s character preparing for the birth of his son, who is hoped to be the heir to Westeros.
However, his wife, Queen Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) encounters serious difficulties while in labour, with the unborn child in breach position.
With a risk to both mother and baby, Viserys is told he must make an impossible decision and chose to spare one.
Opting to save his son, Queen Aemma undergoes a forced cesarean, with the blood loss from being spliced open and the baby ripped from her womb causing her to die.
Speaking to Annie Macmanus on BBC Radio 6 on Thursday, the 48-year-old spoke about the backlash around Viserys’ choice after the DJ said there had been a ‘lot of rage’ about Aemma’s death.
Aemma dies during childbirth (Picture: HBO)
Paddy said: ‘Do you know what? I saw his complexity, and he’s not a bad guy by any means.
‘He’s somebody who thinks he’s making the right decisions. I don’t know what I can say about the first episode without spoiling it but there’s a very, very pivotal moment in it and I think people are getting it confused a little bit.
‘But the decision he makes in that episode, what he puts his wife through, that kind of changes him for the rest of his life.’
Paddy has claimed his character is being misunderstood (Picture: HBO)
Paddy goes on to reveal that the ruler ‘never recovers from that kind of event’ calling him a ‘good man but not a great king.’
He added: ‘He’s not a ruler, he’s not a tyrant, he’s not corrupted by power, all the things you’d think a king would enjoy – he’s not like that.
‘He’s kind of incorruptible in a way but I think his goodness ultimately ends up being his downfall in a way and how he sees humanity in other people ends up being his Achilles heel.’
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The attracted widespread backlash with fans describing it as ‘triggering’ and ‘traumatic’, while others criticised the fact that the content warning at the start of the instalment didn’t include mention of birth trauma.
According to Insider, Paddy initially ‘wasn’t sure’ about it, with the performer explaining: ‘It was very emotional. In fact, it was a lot more brutal and a lot more emotional than it ends up in the final episode. And I wasn’t sure about that when I first saw it.’
House of the Dragon next airs on Monday at 2am on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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