It's been over seven years since the finale of Game of Thrones was released for the whole world to see. 2019 not only marked the last time audiences would see the show's characters living out new adventures on the small screen, but also the last time some cast members would see each other for years. Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington were among those who hadn't met since Bran Stark claimed the Iron Throne, but that has finally changed.
The iconic actors behind Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow are the stars of Variety's latest Actors on Actors episode. Not having seen each other since the end of HBO's hit series, the two had a lot of catching up to do, and one of the biggest questions they asked each other was: "What did you do right after Game of Thrones was over?"
Kit Harington opened up about how he entered a rehab facility and got sober before getting the opportunity to "figure out" who he was and whether he wanted to stay in the acting business. On the other hand, Peter Dinklage also faced his own set of problems, especially when it came to the roles he was offered to play after Tyrion Lannister.
Peter Dinklage talks about the complexity of trying to get out of "the Tyrion box" while still wanting to play "fully-realized" characters
One of the biggest hurdles an actor can face is becoming extremely popular for one specific role and trying not to be typecast afterward. For Dinklage, that meant it was very important to try to portray someone different from Tyrion after Game of Thrones came to an end.
"The first thing I did, which was very funny, was a summer theater in Connecticut," Dinklage said. "Just working with out-of-town New York theater actors putting on a show. That was really organic and in a tiny little theater, and it just felt like the opposite of what we had just come from. You just start to try and re-engineer things to get yourself out of the Tyrion box because that’s the greatest character I’ve ever played, but you don’t want to go right into doing that more. And people want more."
However, Dinklage didn't just face the challenge of trying to play someone different from his latest character, but also of landing another "fully realized" role. Even after the incredible success of Game of Thrones and the overwhelmingly positive reception to Tyrion Lannister, Dinklage received offers to bring one-dimensional characters to life within the fantasy genre.
"I think Tyrion, for someone my size, opened people's eyes. In that fantasy genre, most often, those characters are not really fully-realized human beings," Dinklage told Harington. "But once Thrones ended, I was still getting fantasy things that were back to what it was before that show. Like, 'Damn, I thought we were out to change things a little bit.' So I just went to do a lot of smaller films...I started trying to make my own projects."
Dinklage's goal of making his own projects has been very apparent over the years. After Game of Thrones came to an end, he has produced numerous films, such as Brothers, The Thicket, American Dreamer, and more. However, that doesn't mean he has slowed down in the acting department one bit.
Dinklage has appeared in big franchise projects such as Avengers: Infinity War, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and has voiced a role in Wicked. Better yet, his role in Game of Thrones has allowed him to say "no" to projects he doesn't feel passionate about.
"I haven't done something I didn't want to do since. Before Thrones, there was a lot of good stuff, but there was a lot of stuff I wasn't too proud of. Since Thrones, I'm pretty proud of everything I've done," he said.
The end of Game of Thrones brought its own set of obstacles for everyone involved, especially given the lackluster reception to the last season. However, the show also opened some doors for its cast members, and it's nice to see Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington getting the chance to reflect on their careers and how they've each built their own legacies ever since.
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