From the Game of Rugby to Game of Thrones
With the Game of Thrones phenomenon showing no sign of abating, the 2023 announcement from HBO that they would be producing a prequel filled fans with delight.
The series is titled ‘A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’; and is based on a series of novellas by George RR Martin set in the same fantasy world as his A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
The tales follow the adventures of a wandering knight nicknamed Dunk and his young squire named Egg. According to the official synopsis:
“A century before the events of ‘Game of Thrones’, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
But of course, in a series that revolves around the exploits and growing friendship between two very different characters, a big fan question has been who would be cast in the leading roles.
The wait is finally over with Peter Claffey set to star as Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), while Dexter Sol Ansell is Aegon V Targaryen (Egg), his squire. Moviegoers may recognise Ansell from ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’, The nine-year-old actor seems far too young to play a knight’s apprentice but the casting has stayed true to the source material. The youthful Egg has been cast just as George RR Martin wrote him in his novellas.
Both castings are breakout roles for Ansell and Claffey, especially the former, a rugby player-turned-actor from Portumna. Claffey never planned to be a professional actor and the rugby pitch was his first arena for performance.
However, after a NUIG sports scholarship didn’t pan out as planned, the sportsman signed up to a part-time acting class. A steady stream of projects followed on from there for the Portumna native.
Far from jettisoning the discipline and work ethic of his sports training, Claffey has maintained a huge interest in fitness and brought a striking physical presence to his roles.
No stranger to physical confrontation - on the field or on stage - Claffey has a strong track-record of gutsy portrayals, making his stage debut in Tom Murphy’s visceral ‘A Whistle in the Dark’. Directed by Jason Byrne, the play featured an impressive cast including Seán McGinley and Brian Gleeson and revolved around a gripping family confrontation.
From the Irish stage, Claffey quickly moved on to television work. He credits being cast in Harry Wild alongside Jane Seymour as the turning point for him.
He describes it as “a shock because I didn’t think I’d get anything for a long time. It was just a good thing to be part of as a first big job”.
WORKED WITH CILLIAN MURPHY
From there he has gone from strength to strength starring in 2022’s ‘Bad Sisters’, a powerful black comedy about the tensions in family life. More recently he starred opposite Academy Award winner, Cillian Murphy, in the gripping Irish drama ‘Small Things Like These’ which took a hard look at the Magdalene laundries. He also has a role in the upcoming third season of ‘Vikings: Valhalla’.
Despite these projects, it is still a leap to be cast as the main character in such a hotly anticipated project as the new Game of Thrones prequel. However, Claffey’s back catalogue of playing roles mixed with humour, violence and pathos make him the perfect candidate to portray a wandering knight. Portumna locals are delighted to see the steady rise of “one of their own” especially given the current global attention enjoyed by leading Irish actors such as Cillian Murphy. More casting news is expected over the coming months and Claffey, most of all, must be eager to learn who his co-stars will be.