Peter Dinklage on Tyrion: “No One Is Immortal”

Peter Dinklage is one of the most intensely private actors in the Game of Thrones cast. Unlike some of those who the show has rocketed to stardom and have become the faces of clothes and accessories, or others who seem to do wall to wall press for the show, Dinklage sightings are almost always someone sneaking a shot of him without his knowledge as he walks around New York City. His interviews are a bit like comets–the only pass by once and you have to be ready for them.

Keeping oneself out of the press in this social media’d day and age does have its perks–when Dinklage does agree to sit for a one on one interview, it’s almost always a long form article, and in a higher end brand–in this case, with Maureen Dowd of The New York Times. Not that he allows himself to be impressed. The two-time Emmy winner for his role as Tyrion Lannister, when asked about working with dragons, deadpans “They’re not real.”

“Ah, working with something that is not there. Sometimes I work with some actors who aren’t fully there. The guys in the visual effects department show you pre-visualizations, pre-vis. It used to be just storyboards, but now they’re really well done on computers, and you see the whole scene with you and the animated dragons before you do it, so you get that in your head. It’s neat. It’s cool. I like it.”

The fame that Game of Thrones brought Dinklage both seems to annoy and amuse him. When asked about being considered a sex symbol, he demands to know where these women were when he was in high school. “Too late, ladies.” But those paparazzi photos drive him nuts. Though the complete cluelessness of fans who come right up and take photos both flabbergast him and amuse: “The other day this teenage girl walked right up to me and put her arm around me and took a selfie and said ‘Thanks’ and just kept walking,” he says. “It was almost forgivable because she saw nothing wrong with it.”

Dowd also interviewed most of the A list costars on the show, all of whom gush over working with Dinklage. From Emilia Clarke who calls him “irresistible” to Lena Headey, who refers to him as a “cool cat” (apparently they room together in Belfast and watch Project Runway together), to Sophie Turner who says she “lucky” to be married to Dinklage on screen, everyone agrees that he’s one of the most charming actors to work with.

Speaking of Turner, the inevitable subject of last season’s uproar comes up. Dinklage, like most, immediately points out the irony of those who are ok with the violence and prostitution, but freaked out over Sansa. But he doesn’t leave it there. He’s glad they upset people–in his view, art should cause a strong reaction from those viewing it.

“I love strong reactions to things in what we do for a living. If it doesn’t boil the blood, especially in this genre, then we’re not doing our jobs.”

As for Season 6, Dinklage gives no direct answers. Speaking about Daenerys Targaryen, to whom he pledged his service last season, and will be running Meereen in her name, Dinklage says “You can’t compare her to Eleanor Roosevelt, I suppose. She’s so much cooler.”

On the subject of who will win the Iron Throne, his thinks the answer should be nobody. As far as he’s concerned the best thing they could do to the Iron Thrones is melt it down. ““Smelt it down and give it to the poor. It’s very uncomfortable. They would have let the queen of England sit down on it, but she didn’t. But, you know, she’s an elderly lady, and having sat on it myself, I could understand why. It’s made of swords. Sometimes your bum gets stuck for a second.”

Does he think his character will survive until the end? Dowd cites the recent mathematical study that proved he was the story’s true protagonist, not to mention that he is the favorite character of nearly everyone–including President Obama. Dinklage isn’t impressed, though he admits when it comes to not being killed off, he does try and keep Benioff and Weiss in his corner. But he knows what’s what in Westeros. “No one is immortal.”

And as for the tendency for political opinion writers like herself endlessly comparing the show to our modern politics: “You think Trump will start using trial by combat?” He does admit though that he’s starting to feel as if this is becoming one long crossover episode with reality. Perhaps New Yorkers should worry that the April snows that appeared this weekend are not a herald that Winter is coming here too.