Peter Dinklage, who starred as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, shares how he felt when the series finally ended in 2019. Dinklage’s portrayal of Tyrion was praised throughout the series’ eight seasons, and the character quickly became a fan favourite. Viewers were impressed by Dinklage’s ability to bring a book-accurate version of Tyrion Lannister to the screen, though were generally less happy with the character’s development in the show’s final seasons.
Since he first appeared in Game of Thrones, Dinklage has gone on to star in tentpole cinematic releases and take on leading roles. The actor appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Eitri, appearing in Avengers: Infinity War to help Thor forge Stormbreaker, his new weapon to replace Mjolnir. Dinklage’s next project to hit the big screen is the upcoming Cyrano, a musical romance in which the actor will play the titular lead. The film is an adaptation of the 19th-century French play and will see a wide theatrical release later in January. Several critics who have already seen the film have praised Dinklage's performance, and the actor has already received multiple award nominations for the role.
Now, in an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Dinklage reflects on the emotional impact of the end of Game of Thrones. The actor is asked by Norton whether he was relieved that the show did finally end in 2019, and he initially gave a short, affirmative reply. The actor then expands on his answer, stating that he found leaving Northern Ireland an emotional experience, along with saying goodbye the rest of the cast. Check out the actor’s full comments below:
Yes [I was relieved that Game of Thrones came to an end]. Yes, I mean it's time to move on. As hard as it is. That’s the tricky thing about… I mean that’s what we do for a living. We go off for a couple of months and we have great friendships, then you don't see each other again - and that one was a family. I lived in Ireland basically, and it wasn't just the show it was the life. I had children there. My daughter had an Irish accent… but truly…Belfast: the community up there is so beautiful and I made so many good friends. So for me, the life rather than the show itself. That's the hardest thing to walk away from.
Fans of Dinklage, as well as of Game of Thrones, will be interested to hear his honest reflection on the end of the series. Many actors, when interviewed, will talk positively about previous work, and while Dinklage doesn’t criticize the show at any point, his comments make it clear that he wasn’t sad to finish working on the HBO series. Dinklage's words fall in line with those of Kit Harington, who previously said that the show directly led to a decline in his mental well-being and required that he take a break before pursuing any more projects.
Despite what can be inferred from Dinklage’s comments, Game of Thrones is still one of the world’s most recognised TV series, and will be turned into a franchise with the upcoming prequel series House of the Dragon. Whether House of the Dragon can capture what made Game of Thrones so successful is uncertain, but George R. R. Martin has made positive comments about the show, which counts him as both co-creator and executive producer. Depending on the success of the prequel, which will show how interested audiences still are in the franchise, HBO's exploration of Westeros could still be significantly expanded. Regardless of any potential success, however, it looks extremely likely that Dinklage is done with the wider world of Game of Thrones for good.
Source: The Graham Norton Show