Game Of Thrones set bar high and we have duty to maintain quality – Considine

Paddy Considine, who stars in Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon, has said he felt responsible for maintaining the quality and legacy of the show.

House Of The Dragon is a fantasy tale based on author George RR Martin’s book Fire And Blood, which is set 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.

The HBO drama chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.

One of their descendants, Daenerys Targaryen, was a major character in the main series and was played by Emilia Clarke.

Considine plays King Viserys Targaryen, the fifth king of the Targaryen dynasty to rule the Seven Kingdoms and older brother of ex-Time Lord and The Crown star Matt Smith, who stars as Prince Daemon Targaryen.

Speaking about Game Of Thrones, Considine, 48, told the PA news agency: “There were some really great actors in it, really great performances in it as well.

“There was a duty to sort of try and carry that on. Most of them had set the bar very high and so you just wanted to be responsible and do a good job at the end of the day. Maintain that quality.”

Smith said: “I just hope we’ve created something that’s entertaining. Obviously there’s a huge legacy that comes, we’re never going to recreate the gargantuan success of that show because it’s its own moment in time, it was its own cultural phenomenon, but hopefully we can sort of add something to the pot.”

Considine’s character Viserys was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, and wished to continue his grandfather’s legacy.

Fans of George RR Martin’s books will know Viserys’ children, Rhaenyra and Aegon II, would fight a civil war over his throne in what became known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Dead Man’s Shoes and The Death Of Stalin star Considine said of the character: “He was not somebody that abused his privilege in any way.

“He took his role as king very responsibly. And when I got the part and read it, it was just my job to imbue him with as much humanity as I possibly could.

“I thought that was refreshing from the world that we knew of Game Of Thrones that he wasn’t somebody who was driven by power.

“He wasn’t a tyrant. He was a reasonable man. So I thought that was interesting in that world.”

Emma D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the series alongside Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, while her on-screen father King Otto Hightower is played by Rhys Ifans and Steve Toussaint portrays Corlys Velaryon.

House Of The Dragon will air on Sky and streaming service Now from August 22.