Tyrion is still an outsider ... there ' s a natural empathy towards the underdog whom you would never expect to triumph
who is my size in day-to-day life , it happens , but it ' s not a constant .
“ What was so important to me was that his physicality was not the defining aspect of the character . Of course his size is addressed , but the series doesn ' t knock you over the head with it . He entertains people with his wit because it ' s his way of overcoming his lack of combat skills and physical limitations in a very violent world .”
As one of the most popular characters on the mega-successful series , Dinklage has revelled in the role of Tyrion – the misunderstood but resilient black sheep of the powerful and cruel Lannister family . He has won two Emmys for his efforts – the Best Actor title in 2011 and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2015 .
He says his character , Tyrion , is popular with audiences because he has changed as the series has progressed . “ One of my favourite things about this character , and about all the characters on this show , is that they change . All the characters go through so many different changes , and situations , and relationships . This series has been willing to let its characters evolve over the years and that ' s what excites me as an actor .
“ Tyrion is still an outsider in many ways and there ' s a natural empathy towards the underdog whom you would never expect to triumph in that kind of world . But Tyrion has a sense of nobility and purpose despite his flaws .”
Tyrion is still an outsider ... there ' s a natural empathy towards the underdog whom you would never expect to triumph
Born and raised in New Jersey in the United States , Peter Dinklage ’ s dad was an insurance salesman and his mum taught music . He says his parents never treated him differently because of his condition .
“ We never really talked about it at all ,” he says . “ They accepted the way I was and I obviously had to accept who I was . They were pretty supportive and I wasn ' t treated any differently , I don ' t think , from how it would have been if I had been of normal height . My parents never behaved as if I was strange in any way . It was more like I was taught to think of myself as unique because I didn ' t look like everyone else . And after a while you stop thinking that way and just want to deal with people in a very normal way .”
He attended an all-boys Catholic high school where his love of acting was sparked by an eccentric priest fond of auteur cinema who introduced him to the films of Cassavetes , Truffaut , Fellini and Antonioni .
“ High school wasn ' t a very pleasant place to be because I was basically an outsider in a school which had a lot of jocks and lacrosse players ,” he says . “ I wore black clothes and smoked cigarettes by myself and basically didn ' t have many friends .”
Dinklage went on to study drama at prestigious Bennington College in
Vermont . In his twenties , he began acting in theatre in New York and became friends with a circle of actors and directors , including Tom McCarthy , the director who cast him in The Station Agent . That lowbudget film about a man seeking solitude in an abandoned train station in New Jersey served as Dinklage ' s breakout performance ( it also earned him a 2004 Screen Actors Guild nomination for best actor ) and he has been working regularly ever since .
He says in the early days of his career he avoided roles that stereotyped him because of his condition . “ Although every actor is forced to take a lot of roles you would rather not play , just to survive , I was kind of arrogant when it came to parts that were too stereotyped . We suffer enough ridicule as it is . I didn ' t want to play roles that made an issue of people my size and where there was nothing really interesting to the character beyond that .
" No is a very powerful word in our business , one that is very hard to use early on in your career . But I also think that even if I used that word maybe too much , it did help me with finding roles that I did like .”
Dinklage ’ s success in Game of Thrones has also forced him to deal with the spotlight of celebrity – something he doesn ’ t relish .
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