In a refreshingly honest moment at the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Emmy FYC panel held on April 2, 2026, Peter Claffey opened up about the intense nerves he faced while filming his leading role as Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk).
Quick read:
- Peter Claffey revealed feeling extreme anxiety during initial days of AKOTSK
- Reading the source material again and again gave him confidence
- He channeled his real anxiety into his character’s personality
Credits: HBO
During the event, Claffey admitted that the early days of production were extremely overwhelming.
“I spent the first half of the whole thing having an internal battle with myself anyway, trying not to have a panic attack all day long, because it was just so nerve-wracking,”
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The Irish actor described the immense pressure of stepping into the boots of one of George R.R. Martin’s most beloved characters from the Dunk and Egg novellas. Taking on a fan-favorite role in the highly anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off clearly came with significant anxiety.
How nerves helped him channel Dunk
Rather than letting the nerves overwhelm him, Claffey used them to fuel his performance. He explained that repeatedly reading the first novel helped him deeply connect with the character:
“When you absorb that first novella and really, really kind of get down to it, and read it, and read it, and read it… it was so easy to sort of let yourself into the character at that point.”
He added that Dunk’s internal monologue from the books stayed with him constantly:
“I just had those sort of thoughts basically swimming around in my head throughout the shooting of the whole thing. It was quite easy to let yourself dwell on those things when it needed to in that scene.”
Claffey noted that this internal struggle often translated naturally into his performance.
A powerful acting approach
The Emmy FYC panel appearance highlights Claffey’s dedication to the role. By channeling his real anxiety into Dunk’s own insecurities and internal conflicts, he brought an authentic vulnerability to the towering, honourable knight.
