For actors who are vertically challenged, it’s often difficult to secure quality roles. You take a role like Mini-Me, or Tattoo on Fantasy Island, and you’re stuck with it forever.
That is why Peter Dinklage has been very picky about the roles he’s selected throughout his career, and it’s really paying off with Game of Thrones.
With the popularity of Thrones, Dinklage made the cover of Rolling Stone for an extensive profile piece.
“I can’t be anonymous because of my size,” he said, and sure enough, while writer Brian Hiatt was trailing Dinklage for the story, “a middle-aged woman in calf-length workout pants” recognized him, and got star struck.
I first saw Dinklage in the film The Station Agent, where he put in a terrific performance, and proved his worth as a talented actor. He’s always been matter of fact about being small, and because of his talent, people get past it in a hurry.
As he told Rolling Stone, “When you’re reminded so much of who you are by people – not a fame thing, but with my size, constantly growing up – you just either curl up in a corner in the dark or you wear it proudly, like armor. You can turn it on its head and use it yourself before anybody else gets a chance.”
And as Rolling Stone points out, he was practically quoting a line from the show, clearly taking it to heart. “I’ve done it for two years now,” Dinklage said. “Maybe it’s had an effect on me.”
As for why Thrones has become so popular, Dinklage said, “I can’t explain why. Star Wars or Lord of the Rings deal with great big Joseph Campbell-style myths, good and evil. Our show is so much more unclear. It’s sort of the antithesis of those things – things that aren’t black and white.”
If you love ambiguity, clearly Thrones is your show, because whether its in the time of Thrones or today, a lot of people can’t see the world in just black and white.
