HOTD's Paddy Considine Finally Revealed What Illness Is Plaguing Viserys
I was not expecting this.
From the first episode of House of the Dragon, the series has been upfront about the fact that the king is not well. Starting from the premiere, Viserys has been shown with giant, infected lesions on his back, which have gradually started showing up all over his body. Exactly what’s wrong with him has been the subject of numerous theories, including some suggesting it was greyscale. But recently, actor Paddy Considine finally revealed what illness Viserys is actually battling.
Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1, Episode 5 follow. Although the time jumps so far in House of the Dragon have spanned months rather than decades, Viserys’ health has been rapidly fading. In the premiere, he’s still primarily hale and hearty, despite needing to be leeched and getting lesions burned off. But by Episode 5, Viserys’ illness is getting the better of him. He’s terrible on water, can barely handle a coach ride, and nearly collapses in front of Lord Corlys during the negotiations for Laenor and Rhaenyra’s engagement.
Fans have speculated wildly about what’s wrong with Viserys, as his illness was barely discussed in the Fire & Blood novel, which the show is based on. But speculations can end now, as the actor who plays Viserys, Paddy Considine, revealed his character has a form of leprosy.
Appearing as a guest on Entertainment Weekly’s West of Westeros podcast, Considine said Viserys’ body is “deteriorating” as the disease progresses: “His bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body.”
This is a massive change from the novel, which only suggested there was some sort of “infection” that the king initially began suffering from due to a cut from the Iron Throne. However, the show has an explanation for that: The root of his illness was never public knowledge, so the writer of Fire & Blood would not have been privy to the details of Viserys’ disease.
Although the details might be wrong, the Fire & Blood historian certainly wasn’t incorrect in saying the Iron Throne is taking its toll on Viserys, even if it’s not as literal as cutting him open. “[His illness] becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you,” Considine explained on the podcast. “[It’s] what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally.”
It remains to be seen whether Viserys will be able to withstand another time jump, as Episode 6 moves the show forward another decade to 129 AC.
House of the Dragon Season 1 continues with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
