Peter Dinklage still stands behind the end of Game of Thrones: “I like the finale!”

Peter Dinklage still stands behind the end of Game of Thrones: "I like the finale!"

As a die-hard fan of Peter Dinklage and Game of Thrones, I find myself deeply invested in his latest ventures. The man is truly a chameleon, effortlessly slipping into diverse roles that showcase his immense talent. His recent comments about the fate of The Toxic Avenger, however, have left me a tad concerned.

As a die-hard fan, I’ve always recognized Peter Dinklage most as Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones – the sharp-witted, world-weary nobleman who kept us all entertained for years. Now, he’s making the rounds on the promotional circuit for his latest project, The Thicket, a Western movie currently playing in select cinemas and soon to be available on Tubi. Despite the stark contrast between his rugged cowboy character Reginald Jones and the eloquent Tyrion (“I adore that he’s not some wordsmith. He just knows what needs to be done,” Dinklage shares), his name still evokes memories of Game of Thrones for many fans like me.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, it was noted that Emmy-winning actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, despite the conclusion of “Game of Thrones” over five years ago, continues to be introduced on shows like Jimmy Kimmel in relation to his role in the series. Is it bothersome for Dinklage to still be associated with this public connection?

In a humorous manner, Dinklage playfully said, “If I’m on the cover of Rolling Stone, I’ve made my mark, buddy.” He genuinely takes pride in that show, as he deeply cherishes his character. He maintains close friendships with the creators, David Benioff and Dan Weiss. It spanned over a decade, from our initial discussion to wrapping up the final season. During this time, I partly raised my children in Ireland. There’s no cause for embarrassment, only pride. The series ran for eight seasons, giving the world 80 hours of Dinklage. That’s something that will stay with me.

Does Dinklage still maintain his support for the controversial finale of the series, even after some time has passed since 2021?

He expressed his appreciation for the ending, but he understands if others may not feel the same. For instance, he might say something like, “I totally get why you didn’t enjoy the finale. Frankly, I thought it was terrible – the entire last season was a mess.” But that statement would be far less pleasant than saying he loved it, which he genuinely did. He acknowledges that everyone has their own opinions, and that’s what makes their work enjoyable because there’s always a difference of opinion. People can write about it, discuss it, drink over it, even argue about it – it’s all part of the fun. In his view, it means they’re doing something right. It’s like an old Irish saying: if everything is perfect, then something is wrong. [Laughs.]

Peter Dinklage still stands behind the end of Game of Thrones: "I like the finale!"

It seems to me that his approach is quite balanced in this situation. Given the over-the-top reactions to the finale of Game of Thrones , it’s not surprising that Dinklage prefers to steer clear of the controversy. As Rolling Stone notes, some viewers became quite worked up over a joke in the final moments when Samwell Tarly suggested adopting democracy instead of monarchy, and was laughed at by the lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms. This led some people to interpret it as a criticism of democratic institutions, which Dinklage found equally preposterous as the idea itself.

Indeed, you’re correct. Allow me to rephrase that for a more conversational tone:

Peter Dinklage says Game of Thrones ended at a “good time”

According to what Dinklage shared, he won’t be criticizing the finale of “Game of Thrones” as it’s not something he plans to do. Additionally, he expressed his thoughts that the show ended at a fitting moment.

He explained, “Although it was sad, I didn’t experience much anxiety because everyone was ready for a change at that point. For artists like us, diversity is essential, and the advantage of our show was that we had long breaks between seasons. It was almost like having Thrones for half the year and being off for the other half. This allowed us to pursue other creative endeavors if we were fortunate enough to be involved in them. By the end, no one wanted to prolong it any longer – it was like overstaying a party or a TV show. I believe it was simply the right time for everyone to move on from it. There might have been some who wished to continue it financially since we were doing extremely well for HBO. However, creatively, it was an excellent opportunity for everyone to transition.

Dinklage says the fate of The Toxic Avenger is “out of my hands”

Regardless of whether you primarily associate Dinklage with his role as Tyrion, he’s got an impressive portfolio beyond that. He’s also discussed the movie “The Toxic Avenger,” which remains undistributed despite being completed and receiving positive feedback at film festivals. The buzz is that its producers consider it too specialized for a broad release, but Dinklage speaks highly of it, and festival audiences seem to have loved it, as indicated by its 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“It’s such a great movie. I saw a rough cut of it. I absolutely loved it. It’s so original, even though it’s a spin on an old Eighties cult movie,” Dinklage said. “It’s so much fun and it’s over-the-top violence. Everybody that’s seen it, like the festival in Austin, Texas, all freaked out for it. They loved it. It’s out of my hands. It’s with the companies and what they choose to do with it. You work so hard on something, especially with good friends, and you don’t know what the fate of it’s gonna be. But I guess you just gotta move on. Hopefully it will be released. I hope so. Because it’s really fun, people really like it.”

Catch Peter Dinklage in The Thicket, now playing in select theaters

I’m currently immersed in “The Thicket,” a gritty bounty hunter tale where I play Reginald Jones, opposite the talented Juliette Lewis from Yellowjackets. This film is an adaptation of a novel by Joe Lansdale, a close friend and collaborator of George R.R. Martin, the genius behind Game of Thrones. Even when I’m not on the set of Thrones, I still feel connected to it. Just last week, Martin blogged about a screening of The Thicket held at his theater in Santa Fe, praising the movie!

Martin penned that the Santa Fe audience, as well as himself, enjoyed the movie. He described it as a western, but one that only Joe could create – dark, complex, and populated by vibrant characters. Both Dinklage and Lewis gave impressive performances. If you’re fond of the Old West, don’t miss THE THICKET when it screens at a cinema near you.

For Dinklage, The Thicket represents the long-held desire he’s nurtured. He mentioned, “I’ve never dabbled in a Western before, but I always yearned to. I’m captivated by them.

The Thicket is currently playing in theaters. No streaming release date has yet been announced.

2024-09-13 22:41