Last week, Variety published an article called, "The 100 Greatest TV Performances of the 21st Century," which does what it says it does. It's a fun article that honors a lot of the steller TV acting we've gotten to watch over the past 25 years. It's also fun because you get to read it and say things like, "Wait, why wasn't this performance I loved included?" or "They put that one on there?"
You can't make an article about the best TV for the 21st century and not include Game of Thrones on there somewhere. There are a lot of performances from Game of Thrones I think could be worthy of this kind of list, but Variety limited itself to one performance per show, and fair enough.
So who did they choose to represent Game of Thrones? Coming in at #19 on this list of 100 is Peter Dinklage, who played Tryion Lannister for all eight seasons. "In the early seasons, Dinklage made a feast of Tyrion’s tart tongue and insatiable appetites, compensation for being the only halfway decent member of his venomous, incestuous family," the article reads. "As the show evolved, Dinklage’s performance deepened, exposing Tyrion’s fury over living in a world that sees him as a monster and the anguish of being the smartest person in just about every room he’s in." The article names the scene from the season 5 episode "Kill the Boy" where Tyrion sees a dragon for the first time as "a perfect representation of the hold Game of Thrones had on the culture in the 2010s."
To start, I think that's an interesting choice of scene to pick if you're looking for an example of why Dinklage's performance is one of the best of the 21st century. I think most fans would agree with me when I saw that Tyrion's angry breakdown during his trial in season 4 is probably Dinklage best acting moment on the show:
Who gave the best performance on Game of Thrones?
A bigger question is whether Dinklage should be the representative for Game of Thrones on this list at all. Obviously he's awesome; as Variety points out, he was nominated for an Emmy for every season and won four times. But I've long thought that other actors from the show should have gotten Emmys, because their work was definitely strong enough.
So if it's not Dinklage on this list, who should it be? I always thought that Alfie Allen didn't get the credit he deserved for playing Theon Greyjoy, who goes through huge changes over the course of the show. Of the younger actors, Maisie Williams stands out as the violent, defiant Arya Stark. And we have to acknowledge Emilia Clarke's consistently excellent work as Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons.
But if I were making this list and choosing one Game of Thrones actor to represent the best of the show, I think I'd go with Lena Headey as the indomitable Cersei Lannister. Cersei didn't talk nearly as much as Tyrion, but Headey always made sure you knew there was a ton going on behind her eyes: rage, calculation, and below it all, a vulnerability she tried to hide even from herself. Cersei hardened over the course of the show, especially after the Walk of Shame scene at the end of season 5, where Headey gives a blisteringly powerful performance:
In the end, Dinklage is a great choice to represent Game of Thrones on Variety's list, but I'll also take any chance to talk about the great performances on the show. I'm also a little disappointed to not see someone from the prequel series House of the Dragon on the list. I know that show is only halfway through its run, but I think Emma D'Arcy's performance as Rhaenyra Targaryen is excellent enough to merit mention, especially considering some of the people who did get on there instead.
For real, the article is a fun read. If you're outraged by any of choices, feel free to sound off in the comments below!
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