A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Dexter Sol Ansell says Egg’s drawings from the novels “look exactly like me”

At just 11 years old, Dexter Sol Ansell has already made waves as Egg in HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ansell revealed how his portrayal of Dunk’s tenacious sidekick received George R.R. Martin’s approval early in the process — and how the graphic novel illustrations of Egg eerily resemble him.

Quick read

• George R.R. Martin told Ansell he looked like Egg “jumped out of the books.”
• Martin gave no advice, only praise for his casting.
• Ansell jokes that Egg’s drawings from years ago look exactly like him.

George R.R. Martin’s seal of approval

Ansell recalled meeting Martin during the early stages of production: “He’s very happy. He didn’t give me any advice. He said, ‘You look and sound like you just jumped out of the books.’ That was fun.” The comment underscores how naturally Ansell embodies Egg, a character central to Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which form the basis of the new series.

Egg’s drawings mirror Dexter

Ansell also pointed to the graphic novel adaptations of Dunk and Egg, noting how uncanny the resemblance is: “If you actually look at the drawings, which were drawn, like, five years before I was born — they could have made it then, but they didn’t. They waited for me,” he teased, putting two hands under his chin like a cherub in a Renaissance painting. “But those drawings of Egg look exactly like me.” His playful remark adds a mythic quality to his casting, as if destiny itself aligned the role with him.