A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars Peter Claffey as hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, in his journey to earn a place in the unforgiving world of Westeros. The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight, and Claffey plays the hero down to the tee. At an HBO press conference (via Gizmodo), showrunner Ira Parker explained how the Irish star’s body language conveyed Dunk’s inner monologue.
Quick read:
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner was impressed with Peter Claffey’s performance.
- Ira Parker praised how well Claffey seamlessly communicated Dunk’s inner monologue.
- The show avoided drone shots to keep it personal.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner is all praises for Peter Claffey
Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO (Image: HBO)
Peter Claffey, a former professional rugby player, brings not only the physicality of the titular knight, but also captures Dunk’s heart and humour. During the press conference, showrunner Ira Parker praised the actor’s performance.
He said, “There’s only so much you can do with visual language, really. If it wasn’t for Mr. Peter Claffey just coming in every day and communicating so much with his body language and his eyes and his own sense of humor, we never would have been able to get out Dunk’s inner monologue, which is, of course, so important to this series. It is so important to this novella.”
Casting is often one of the toughest challenges in book-to-screen adaptations, as fans are quick to scrutinise who brings their favourite characters to life. Fortunately, in this case, Peter Claffey proves to be an ideal fit, perfectly capturing the charm of the adorable Dunk.
Showrunner Ira Parker on how easy it was to keep the show “intimate”
One of the biggest differences between the latest prequel series and others in the Game of Thrones franchise is that it keeps the story personal instead of spanning multiple points of view. Reflecting on this, Parker said, “To feel intimate came very easily because we are just following one person’s story, and we’re seeing it through his eyes and trying to adhere pretty strictly to not going outside of that.”
Since the source material, aka Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, was from Dunk’s singular point of view. Exploring other perspectives was obviously out of the question. To that end, the showrunner explained that they avoided drone shots to keep it focused on Dunk and make sure that the audience lives his feelings through him.
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