House Of The Dragon actor Paddy Considine weighs in on the controversial ending of Game Of Thrones. Prior to being cast on Game of Thrones prequel, Considine was primarily known for his roles in Wolf, Macbeth and Peaky Blinders. The British actor will play King Viserys I Targaryen in the prequel series, alongside Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cook, Rhys Ifans and Graham McTavish. House Of The Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones and will chronicle the fall of House Targaryen and the events leading up the civil war known as the Dance Of Dragons. The Targaryen-focused show is the first of many planned Game of Thrones spinoffs currently in development, releasing on HBO on August 21.
It has been three years since Game Of Thrones season 8 aired on HBO. The six-episode season was jam packed, wrapping up the war for the Iron Throne and the battle against the White Walkers. The overall reception of season 8 was mixed, with backlash pointing to the season's shorter runtime, as well as the creative decisions by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Many felt that the final Game of Thrones installment adversely impacted the plot and fan-favorite characters arcs. Game Of Thrones season 8 is arguably one of the most controversial TV seasons to date, and has even been criticized by cast members such as Kit Harrington, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey. With House Of The Dragon a month away from release, another actor has weighed in on the divisive final season of the original.
EW sat down the with cast and crew of House Of The Dragon to discuss the highly anticipated spinoff. Among the many topics that were brought up, including the newly designed, but hazardous iron throne, Game Of Thrones season 8 was discussed, specifically how its mixed reception may have "turned off" fans and critics from future spinoffs. Considine, who is Thrones fan, did not fully agree with the notion, but understood why some may feel that way, saying:
"When you live with something for so many years and watch those characters on that adventure, I think people start to write their own endings. I feel like a bit of that probably happened. And I was probably one of them, as well."
Considine's comments suggest that he also had a different ideal Game of Thrones ending in mind from the final version, but doesn't hold a grudge. Co-showrunner Ryan Condal also weighed in, maintaining that while he is focused on making a worthy successor in House of the Dragon, the backlash to Game of Thrones season 8 will not factor into the show's creative decisions. This might seem at odds with a trend in the industry that sees fans trying playing a larger role in influencing creative and casting decisions in TV and film. However, with House Of The Dragon being driven by prominent female characters such as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, the spinoff already seems to be righting a wrong pointed out by Game Of Thrones audiences when it comes to the portrayal of women.
It remains to be seen if House Of The Dragon lives up to the hype, or in this case assuages the worries of many Game Of Thrones fans who are still reeling from an underwhelming final season. However, unlike Game Of Thrones season 8, the spinoff is based on existing lore by George R R. Martin, specifically the novel Fire & Blood. This will arguably ensure that the story is more cohesive and reduce the number of potential plot holes and loose ends, but exactly how it sits with audiences won't be clear until House Of The Dragon premieres next month.
Source: Entertainment Weekly