Actor Peter Claffey, who plays Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, was asked how he approached the making of the series at the Dublin Comic Con since he was cast in the lead role. Answering this, Peter revealed that he was already a massive Game of Thrones fan when he was called to audition for Dunk.
Quick read:
• Peter Claffey was aware about Game of Thrones’ world before auditioning for AKOTSK
• He admitted to reading The Hedge Knight book before his audition
• The show’s team wanted to do justice to the source material
Credits: HBO
Peter Claffey’s preparations to becoming Dunk
Explaining his preparations and approach, Claffey said,
“I was a massive Game of Thrones fan of the TV series. So when this audition process started, I read the book, kind of speed-read the first novel The Hedge Knight through the audition process just to kind of get it in my head. I went back and just sort of absorbed it. It’s just a great story.”
He revealed that once he was officially cast and received the scripts, he returned to the book and read it more carefully, allowing himself to fully absorb the story. Then, when the cast eventually met the author, George R. R. Martin, they learned that this story was one of his personal favorites. Because of that, Peter said the team felt a strong responsibility to honour the original material and do justice to the literature.
He also acknowledged how enormous the success of Game of Thrones had been, which made them aware that the new adaptation had the potential to resonate strongly with audiences. According to him, the response has been as positive as they could have hoped, and the team feels extremely proud of how the project has turned out.
For the fans, learning that one of their favourite characters is also a fan of the original Game of Thrones is another news to rejoice about and celebrate.
