Sam Spruell compares A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Maekar with his Fargo role

Sam Spruell’s portrayal of Prince Maekar in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has drawn attention for its intensity, but the actor himself sees parallels with his earlier work in Fargo. In a recent interview, Spruell explained that Fargo’s Munch remains one of the best projects he’s ever done, thanks to the quality of Noah Hawley’s writing.

Quick Read

• Spruell calls Fargo one of his best projects.
• He praises Noah Hawley’s writing.
• Game of Thrones has bigger scale and fan zealotry.

Fargo as a career highlight

Spruell reflected on how Fargo gave him the chance to work with exceptional writing and direction. He explained that while the series didn’t have the sheer size or global audience of Game of Thrones, it still left a mark on his career. Before elaborating, Spruell framed Fargo as a defining project (via THR):

“Fargo is predominantly one of the best bits of work that I’ve done. I got to work on such good writing. It may not have the sheer size of the Game of Thrones’ world and audience numbers and fan zealotry, but I’m sure there was some effect.” 

This shows how Spruell values quality storytelling over scale, seeing Fargo as a benchmark for his craft.

Maekar and the grind of acting

Spruell also discussed how his career has been less about breakout moments and more about steady progress. He explained that most actors chip away at good work with strong collaborators, hoping for roles that break things open. His work with Ira Parker on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms reflects that same process, building toward sustained runs of meaningful parts. Before clarifying, Spruell underscored the persistence required in acting:

“Nothing has ever really smashed [my career] open. Most of us actors, we chip away at trying to do good work with really good people like Noah Hawley or Ira Parker. You just carry on working and hopefully something breaks it open wide enough to either get you the next job or move you up a rung into a sustained run of really good parts.” 

This reflection highlights how Spruell sees Maekar as part of a long journey, not a sudden breakthrough, reinforcing the grind and resilience of an actor’s path.