Peter Dinklage Doesn’t Mind Leisure Time Violence
Last Sunday’s philosophical discussion between Hizdahr and Tyrion on the nature of violence might not quite have equaled the outstanding Dany-Tyrion bonding scene in “Hardhome,” but it was still an episode highlight. In one sense, it was summing up the debate the show has been having every week. “What great thing has ever been accomplished without killing or cruelty?” asks Hizdahr. “It’s easy to confuse what is with what ought to be. Especially when what is has worked in your favor,” responds Tyrion. With Dany clearly siding with Tyrion in this debate, it’s obvious who is supposed to be morally right here. And yet, week after week, Game of Thrones sides with Hizdahr, not in what it says, but in what it does. Every power move comes with a large helping of killing and/or cruelty, and sometimes the power move isn’t even required.
But there’s at least one important figure who supports the violence on Game of Thrones, and that’s Peter Dinklage. After his character’s scene with Hizdahr last week, Vulture decided to ask him how he felt about the violence on the show.
“I’m glad you’re not talking about the nudity, because nudity is great but violence is an epidemic! But [Game of Thrones] is this world where the only way they know how to survive is to kill or be killed, so that’s sort of it.”
Considering that the other routinely asked question has been about the nudity on the show, one can understand why Dinklage is relieved to be getting the other question. He himself doesn’t mind watching violence on TV, but only if it’s well done.
“It’s all about the writing,” Dinklage said. “Breaking Bad was one of my all-time-favorite shows; I liked The Sopranos, and they are very violent. They had very violent elements to them, so yeah, maybe we’re attracted to stuff that we can’t get away with in our own day-to-day lives; we live out vicariously through other characters.”
Perhaps that vicariousness is why, despite the outcries of how terrible it all is, and that they can’t go on watching. fans still seem to tune in every week. Despite it all, last week’s ratings were at season premiere levels, and with only one episode to go, the guess is that everyone will be tuning in next week to see what sort of ending will “break the internet.”
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