When George R.R. Martin stepped onto the set of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the creator of Westeros got to see his beloved characters Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg come to life in person. Actors Peter Claffey (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg) recently shared details from that memorable visit at the Dublin Comic Con. They described Martin’s warm, supportive presence and genuine emotional response to the production.
Quick read:
• George R.R. Martin was overwhelmed after seeing the Ashford set come to life
• Claffey mentioned that Martin portrayed trust towards everyone involved
• His memorable piece of advice to the showrunner
Credits: Not A Blog
Egg “jumped straight out of the book” said George R.R. Martin
When the host of the event asked the duo about their experience of having Martin on stage, Peter recalled that Martin was “really lovely” and mostly left the actors to their own devices. In short, he trusted their performances.
Then Dexter revealed that when Martin looked at him,
“He said I look like I jumped straight out of the book.”
This highlighted Martin’s immediate approval that Egg was indeed casted as he had imagined him in the Dunk and Egg novellas.
George R.R. Martin’s advice to Ira Parker
The highlight of the revelation came when Martin toured the massive Ashford Meadow set, which is the grand tournament ground central to the first season. Claffey noted that Martin was clearly impressed by the scale, detail, and authenticity the team had built to bring The Hedge Knight’s world to the screen.
“We built the whole Ashford Meadow he was overwhelmed with seeing how good everyone looked.”
Claffey also mentioned that Martin did share one memorable piece of advice with showrunner Ira Parker. Before revealing this, Peter whimsically asked Dexter to close his ears to avoid any unwanted words being heard by him. This made everyone in the audience laugh. Then Claffey went on to mention that Martin told Parker, “This is my favourite story that I have written, so don’t f*ck it up.” This humorous comment showed his deep care for the material while showing trust in the team to honour the stories.
This set visit reinforced the personal connection Martin has to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This also showcased that even the cast members are allowed to be casual and informal with George R.R. Martin, who treats everyone in a loving way.
