Highly known for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage has now become a leading actor. No doubt, Dinklage now has a long career, but he had to work a lot harder to reach where he is today.
The acting bug caught Dinklage in fifth grade. So, when he moved to New York City, he survived his salad days in a small apartment filled with rats.
The actor has always been offered roles like dwarves, elves, leprechauns, and whatnot. But he turned those paychecks out of principle, which he had followed then. He didn’t want his size to limit his talent. Not only this, but Dinklage had to try hard to fit that in people’s minds and prove everyone wrong.
Peter Dinklage Rejects Leprechaun Role Amid Financial Struggles
Peter Dinklage faced initial struggles as an actor, especially in finding roles due to his various features as a dwarf. He had a credited film debut in the low-budget movie Living in Oblivion (1995), an independent comedy-drama in which he co-starred with Steve Buscemi.
Despite short-term setbacks, he eventually found success with roles that challenged stereotypes — such as his role in Elf. Dinklage once told New York Times in 2012:
“I hate that word – ‘lucky.’ It cheapens a lot of hard work. Living in Brooklyn in an apartment without any heat and paying for dinner at the bodega with dimes, I don’t think I felt myself lucky back then. Doing plays for 50 bucks and trying to be true to myself as an artist and turning down commercials where they wanted a leprechaun. Saying I was lucky negates the hard work I put in and spits on that guy who’s freezing his ass off back in Brooklyn. So I won’t say I’m lucky. I’m fortunate enough to find or attract very talented people. For some reason, I found them, and they found me.”
That’s right. The New Jersey native wasn’t lucky but made his own luck. He had survived cold nights without heat. So, of course, he’s here today because he put his blood, sweat, and tears in it.
Peter Dinklage Almost Missed Famous Role in the Game Of Thrones
Even when Game of Thrones approached him, he was aware of the typical portrayal of dwarves in fantasy projects. Dinklage discussed his initial hesitance to join Game of Thrones.
The actor told The New York Times in 2012 that he had problems with characters presented with “a very long beard and pointy shoes. “No beard, no pointy shoes, a romantic, real human being,” he continued.
“That’s usually what happens in fantasy genres with people my size,” mainly referring to The Lord of the Rings. But he changed his mind when he once became familiar with the material and met Tyrion. “I didn’t know anything about Tyrion. I haven’t read the books or anything. I was just being an idiot.” And so, the Cyrano star received universal acclaim for his performance, fetching 4 Emmys for the role.
