In a candid interview on The Tommy Tiernan Show, Peter Claffey revealed the surprising accent choice he made for Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and how nervous it made him.
Quick read:
- Peter Claffey was asked to use his original Irish accent for Dunk
- He was initially hesitant about it
- He really worked to make the accent believable as a medieval period person
The accent dilemma
During the entire audition process, Claffey performed with a suburban London or Northern English accent. However, the producers encouraged him to use his natural Galway Irish accent instead. As a big Game of Thrones fan, he was immediately worried.
“I was like, as a Game of Thrones fan, this is a huge risk.”
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He stayed anxious right until filming began, unsure whether the combination would work.
Medieval dialogue challenges
Claffey explained how difficult it was to deliver the show’s formal, archaic dialogue with his Irish accent. He gave several examples of the lines that felt unnatural to him like:
“Would you be requiring my services for the winter?”
“I am Ser Duncan the Tall of the Hedge People.”
“It is mine by right.”
He laughed while saying, “Like, no one f**king says that at all… down at home, nobody really speaks properly like that.”
Learning to own the performance
The biggest challenge for Claffey was not just saying the lines, but fully believing them. He shared how he worked to make the medieval speak sound authentic.
“How do you say that in such a way that it’s totally believable? To get to a point where you actually believe it yourself… And it took me a while to believe it myself.”
Despite his initial doubts, Claffey trusted the creative team’s vision. His authentic Irish accent has now become one of the most praised aspects of his performance as Dunk.
