Paddy Considine improvised a key Viserys line in House of the Dragon. Considine played King Viserys I in season 1 of the Game of Thrones prequel, which follows the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war. Viserys was married to Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) when the series premiered, but his wife died in one of the series' infamous childbirth sequences following his choice to attempt to save the baby. His role in Aemma's death haunted Viserys throughout the show. Though he married Alicent (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke) soon after her death and finally was able to conceive more heirs, his regrets were apparent, manifested by his steadfast support of Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock/Emma D'Arcy) as his successor.
At the inaugural Game of Thrones convention in Los Angeles (attended by Screen Rant), Considine revealed that he improvised his character's simple last words in episode 8, stating that the line "my love" was his addition to the scene. Confirming what many had speculated, Considine explained that Viserys was saying those words to Aemma, not Alicent, who sat beside him on his deathbed. Creating a poignant image, Considine stated that in his mind, Aemma "is the one that comes to meet him" as Viserys passes away, adding another layer of emotion to the already tragic scene. See Considine's comments below:
"Ultimately, when he dies, I just had this idea that before he leaves that realm, Aemma is the one that comes to meet him, and he’s finally back with her. So that was it. And the line that was improvised, I just said, 'My love.' I reached out like I was touching her face, and I just said, 'My love.' And they kept it in."
Considine Made Viewers Believe Viserys' Love For Aemma
Given their complicated relationship dynamic in the House of the Dragon pilot, which saw Aemma pregnant and traumatized by the many children she had lost in an effort to give Viserys a male heir, it would be easy to reduce their marriage to both parties fulfilling their duties. Viserys seems to care for Aemma and take her feelings into account, but his quest for a male heir ultimately drives him in that pilot episode, which leads to Aemma's death. However, Considine brought nuance to the role of Viserys, making his character's genuine affection for his wife achingly clear during their brief scenes together.
In House of the Dragon, it is rare to see a marriage that genuinely constitutes a partnership rather than an uneven dynamic in which one person is manipulating or using the other. Indeed, the circumstances of Aemma's death led many to believe that Viserys had effectively killed his wife for an heir, only to trade her in for a much younger and more fertile woman. Despite those plot points, Considine elevated the character of Viserys and forced him to wear his heart and love for Aemma on his sleeve, making it no question that he loved Aemma more than anything and deeply regretted the decision that turned many against him.
Though Aemma died early on, Viserys' interactions with their daughter Rhaenyra kept her alive, especially after the time jump, after which the grown-up Rhaenyra bore a striking resemblance to her mother. His refusal to reconsider Rhaenyra's claim to the throne once he had male heirs was his way of honoring his wife's memory and attempting to correct the mistakes that led to her passing. Additionally, as Viserys decayed due to his illness, his longing for his late wife became clearer and clearer despite his partnership with Alicent, demonstrated when he called his current wife by the wrong name. Considine's comments show that his character's arc on House of the Dragon comes full circle as a tragic love story, placing even more importance on his death scene.