Martin, rampaging on the television dripping blood. Giving life to the hard and skilled Tyrion Lannister the actor Peter Dinklage has become the celebrity of the moment on the small screen.
Hollywood has surrendered at his feet and has made him a star. His has merit, he is not a tall man, and yet his eyes, his seductive voice and his talent make the audience irresistible.
The story of Dinklage resembles that of hundreds of actors who fight and fight for years to survive in the vicinity of cinema, theater and television without finishing the success and suffering to make ends meet. Even so, this New Yorker of pro, refused to be tempted by movies where he would be part of the team of Santa Claus or puppet in the circus. In that he does not look like Tyrion, a man who uses his stature for his own benefit. Perhaps because he did not fully understand the character, or because refusing everything at first was part of his personality, Peter doubted when participating in Game of Thrones. “I was convinced by the tone of the script. How the character is written with respect. Tyrion's pragmatism and his sarcastic attitude towards life are elements that I share with him”. Dinklage grew up in Brookside, New Jersey, with his brother and his parents, he an insurance salesman and she a music teacher. "In my house there was no television, although one day my brother and I, we would be about thirteen years old, discovered that something strange was heard in our parents' room. When we looked over we found them watching a television that they had hidden in the closet”. That day he changed his life and became addicted to series like Three's Company or The Cosby Family. Peter and his brother Jonathan inherited their mother's talent and became interested in the art world (Jonathan is a professional violinist) After studying acting at Bennington University, Peter moved to New York in 1991 with his friend and classmate, director Ian Bell, with whom he would share an unheated apartment next to the train station. After playing many doors his first film came, Living in Oblivion, under the command of Steve Buscemi, but the theater roles were scarce, the independent films did not pay the debts and Dinklage was determined not to give his arm to twist to represent dwarfs disguised in advertisements or commercial films for children. “My agent pressured me, demanded that I change my attitude". His role in Death at a Funeral caught the attention of Hollywood and soon fell into his hands Game of Thrones. Thanks to the series the actor won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. “The prizes are the icing on the cake. Totally unexpected and delicious”.
Q: Have you learned any Spanish shooting in Game of Thrones in Spain
A: I may have to say my Spanish is not great, but I was able to communicate with part of the Spanish crew and order some food in my hotel.
Q: What did you like to do in Spain
A: We didn’t have much free time. I did enjoy the locals and definitely the places we had the chance to shoot the series. Is a wonderful country that I would love to explore more in the future.
Q: You are very well read, what Spanish authors you like?
A: I love theater and read Lorca. He is wonderful, deep and insightful. I really like his plays. Of all the novelist and playwriters in the world he is one of my favorites.
Q: How do you face your characters?
A: There is a lot of confusion around how an actor chooses a role, I do not blind myself to the script is the most important. Normally the director and the writers investigate thoroughly the creation of a story and the actors are dedicated to filling the spaces. With a series like Game of Thrones it is clear that my work is very simple
Q: Is it something like Tyrion?
A: I think nobody laughs at Lannister. Game of Thrones maintains its mythology and Tyrion is a man who knows how to manipulate an environment full of cruelty. I'm not like him, I'm not going to play a character that ridicules the dwarves. But I sincerely believe that the series, although at some point it talks about its stature, is not something that I mention constantly.
Q: When you play a character based on a book, as in the case of Game of Thrones, do you feel that you lose creative freedom?
A: One cannot and should not be limited. With each character, with each story that you have to create you must start from scratch. I can speak from experience because I've been playing Game of Thrones for some time and I've discovered that it's impossible to convince everyone. Each one has a different and definitive opinion of the character, because they created it in their heads while they read the book, suddenly you arrive interpreting a role that they imagine different and they do not accept it. One should not try to convince them because beauty is born in the creation of your own character. If you serve history well, it is likely that the result will be satisfactory
Q: Do you think that some people are destined to achieve great feats?
A: I do not know. I'm not sure. I think not because everyone would be disappointed if they do not get it and nobody should be disappointed by fate
Q: Is this the best moment of your career as an actor?
A: Yes. I'm working and that for any actor is a fortune. I know many colleagues in the profession who are unemployed and it is really very frustrating
Q: You do not just find work, you can afford to say "no" to a movie
A: Yes, it's true. I recognize that this is a great luxury that I can afford and an honor. Many actors accept what they catch and being able to choose is a luck. The truth is that I owe this moment to Game of Thrones, a series that fills me creatively.
Q: There is something you can anticipate from the new season of Game of Thrones
A: The character is still wonderful. Many things happen this season and part of the success of the series is to surprise the public by not revealing their secrets.
Q: How much has it changed you to interpret Thrones?
A: The first two years was like silk, a quiet experience. But then the next three have been crazy. Now they recognize me on the street and some shout at me "yesterday you were on my television". No doubt all that has changed my lifestyle, although I'm not one of those who let themselves be overwhelmed. I am a very private man
Q: How do you enjoy relaxing at the end of a work day?
A: I like to spend time with my family, with my friends. I enjoy reading and playing scrabble on the internet, which is one of my obsessions
Q: Do you plan to direct or write in the future?
A: I would love it, but it requires a lot of time and these moments I do not have it because I am dedicated to acting. Directing a film has a trick because simply with the preparation you need a whole year of preproduction and now I cannot, however it is a very attractive possibility for me
Q: When it appears on the cover of a magazine and people say that you are very elegant it makes you think more about looking after your image, about worrying about your way of dressing
A: No. It's something I do not think about at all. I know who I am, I am 45 years old and at this moment I am very clear about what I am looking for in life. I do not worry about my image (laughs). People believe, especially if you are an actor, that public personality is necessary and I do not need it. I've never had a publicist to protect me because that aspect of this business is not important to me
Q: George Clooney said he knows how to conduct his public image because success came late in his life, after thirty-three. Is it the same for you?
A: I guess so. There are some actors with whom I work in Game of Thrones who are very young and face with respect to fame. I do not know if I would have done the same thing instead. In my case, I spent twenty years fighting to pay the bills.
Q: Can you keep your private life in New York?
A: Yes, although it is becoming more and more complicated. I am a very private man and I respect the fans of the series because I know they are of good intentions, but sometimes it is exhausting to have in front of your face the phones of every person that you find. People are naughty and try to take pictures without permission and that irritates me. I do not understand why they do it, is it not better to introduce yourself and meet the person who steals a blurred photo? I am clear that I am not moving from New York because it is important for me to live in a city where I feel safe and where I feel my family is safe.
Q: You are a vegetarian and animal rights activist. What is your favorite dish of vegetarian food?
A: I am one of those vegetarians who does not go to vegetarian restaurants. I think you could say that I am a bad vegetarian because I consume so many soy products that I am sure is not healthy.
Maria Estévez
Correspondent Writer
