“He doesn't get enough credit for that”: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner is all praise for star Peter Claffey

There truly couldn't have been anyone better than Peter Claffey to play Ser Duncan the Tall on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and showrunner Ira Parker completely agrees. During a recent panel for the show, Parker made it clear that Peter Claffey's performance goes way deeper than what ends up on screen. In fact, Parker suggested that much of what makes Dunk so compelling isn't even explicitly written into the script.

Speaking to the audience, he says,

"I think you know, Peter's a genius. Peter's a supercomputer the most, one of the most natural actors I've ever met in my entire life. His ability to embody all of that...You know, that stuff is not always there on the page. He goes and he figures out, completely on his own what he's going to do. And he doesn't get enough credit for that."

Parker explained that because so much of the novella exists inside Dunk's head, translating that into visual storytelling required serious work from the actor. While dialogue can be invented, facial expressions and physical presence have to communicate everything else. Claffey managed to do that consistently without explicit direction, which Parker called one of the most difficult aspects of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Further, he adds,

"There is a lot of Peter in the role, but there's this entirely other level of what you were adding for this character that is no way close. And sometimes we would even have to tell you, I'd say like, give us the Peter take. Just be you for like a second...This whole thing was just one of the most brilliant performances I've ever seen in my whole life."

How Peter Claffey built Dunk from the inside out on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

When Peter Claffey stepped into the role of Ser Duncan the Tall, he was inhabiting an internal world completely. The performance fans saw on screen is built on layers of textural work that happens mostly inside his head, in the moments between takes. He spent the first half of production battling his own nerves, grappling with not having any breakdowns born from the sheer weight of the role. But he came over it and put everything into Duncan's role.

His chemistry with young co-star Dexter Sol Ansell wasn't manufactured either; it came from genuine mentorship, real conversations about being an actor and ensuring Dexter felt safe. The result of all of this is a character who has been received with so much love by fans, and as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms moves on to another season, it's exciting to look forward to what Dunk and Egg will be up to in the future.

Trending

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to stream on HBO Max.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback