The Trial of Seven may have been brutal on screen, but Finn Bennett says it was just as punishing behind the scenes. In an interview with Vulture, the actor revealed how director Sarah Adina Smith guided his performance as Aerion Targaryen during the climactic fight with Dunk. Bennett described the physical toll of the stunts and the psychological notes that shaped Aerion’s cruelty.
Quick read
- Finn Bennett says stunts with Peter Claffey were physically painful.
- Director Sarah Adina Smith told him to approach Dunk “like a scientist.”
- Bennett loved the cruelty and unpredictability of Aerion’s movements.
Bennett on stunts and director’s notes
Bennett recalled the physical demands of the fight: “Physically speaking, although it’s rehearsed and it’s definitely a stunt, Peter is a really big guy, and I’m not that big of a guy, so it hurts. One of the stunts that I did, I chuck myself off the stage, and I remember landing and going, Fuck, that really hurt. So there’s definitely that element to it.”
He then shared the director’s guidance: “A note that I really liked from director Sarah Adina Smith was, ‘Imagine you’re a scientist and this specimen has landed before you, and you’re kind of investigating it, prodding it, seeing where it will go. And you’re actually really disappointed that he doesn’t want to go any further. And then when Egg comes in, it brings the energy back up, because you’re like, Brilliant, I’ve got an excuse to really make a mess of things and do something here.’”
For Bennett, this approach unlocked Aerion’s cruelty. He explained how he varied his movements — sometimes prodding Dunk, sometimes ignoring him — to create a sense of unpredictability.
Dunk and Aerion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Image: HBO)
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Why Bennett loved the scene
Bennett emphasized how the director’s notes made Aerion’s violence feel thuggish rather than choreographed: “I loved moving around Peter, and sometimes I’d kind of prod him, and sometimes I would not touch him at all, and sometimes I wouldn’t look at him. I loved how cruel it was. It wasn’t like, we are gonna break his arm or something — no, we are gonna curb‑stomp him. It’s really thuggish. Personally, it’s my favorite scene in the whole series.”
That perspective highlights why Aerion’s fight with Dunk stands out: it’s not just a battle of strength, but a performance of cruelty, shaped by psychological notes and raw physicality.
Read next: Why Peter Claffey left rugby just before his big break in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
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