Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) praises Charles Dance (Tywin) for being “very paternal” on the set of Game of Thrones

Peter Dinklage‘s depiction of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones is notably one of the series’ most unforgettable performances. Tyrion is renowned for his charm, wit, and cunning, but Dinklage infuses the character with an added depth of charisma. His dynamic with Charles Dance‘s Tywin Lannister is an acting masterclass. And the two have a lot of respect for each other.

Charles Dance is one of Peter Dinklage’s favorite human beings

The relationship between Tywin and Tyrion Lannister was the result of toxic masculinity, which ruined their father-son bond. However, behind the screen the two actors had the greatest respect for each other. Dinklage recalled in a recent visit to the Hot Ones:

“I love Charlie Dance, he’s one of my favorite human beings and he played my father on the show and all my father…did on the show was humiliate me and sentence me to death…so he made a habit, ’cause we would get really invested in those things…talk about great dialogue, Dan Weiss and David Benioff gave us the greatest dialogue, so it really felt really lived in and fun and scary at times…so he would just like, between every take, he would come over and just gently touch me on the shoulder.

We wouldn’t hug it out ’cause we had no time, but he would always make a point to give me a little [pats table]. And it felt very paternal too…he played a horrible human being, but he’s one of my favorite human beings and it was a shame how that one ended, on the toilet. Kind of like how this is gonna end. But yeah, that’s one of the more classic death scenes in a TV show I think.”

Peter Dinklage on what he looks for in projects

Peter Dinklage is one of the many standout actors in Game of Thrones, and perhaps one of the most successful of the bunch. With dozens of acting credits to his name, Dinklage now looks for creative fulfillment, and shared what he looks for in the projects he wants to be a part of,

“Dialogue. You can have the greatest idea for a film…but as an actor, what am I saying, you know what’s our dialogue? What’s the ease or tension in the wordplay that you’re putting on the page. I always like to rattle the cage of genres because people in comedies don’t know they’re being funny.

So I like my comedies like really straight…Alan Arkin…he was my favorite. He was so funny because he just played it as like somebody who doesn’t think anything is funny…so anything that sort of points the finger at ‘this is funny’, writing wise…like a punchline in a movie doesn’t really work cause it doesn’t really work in life…”

Read Next: Who is Peter Dinklage?

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04/09/2025 08:17 am GMT