Child star Dexter Sol Ansell has been winning hearts ever since his debut as Egg, the squire who is secretly a Targaryen prince in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Recently, a video of Ansell reacting to his casting in the Game of Thrones spin-off went viral, garnering almost half a million views on X.
The video spotlights the exact moment the 11-year-old actor learned that he would be playing Egg.
“The joy on his face is unmatched. Kid’s already winning,” a fan wrote.
Fans react to Dexter Sol Ansell’s wholesome casting video
Image credits: HBO
In the video, Ansell learned of his casting and celebrated with his entire family, including his father, Jonathan Ansell, his mother, his elder sister, and his pet dog.
The child star looked ecstatic to have landed the role of Egg / Prince Aegon and was left speechless before he finally managed to exclaim:
“I got the role!! I’m gonna be Egg.”
With the widespread critical acclaim Ansell’s performance received for the role, it is no surprise that fans couldn’t help but be emotional after watching the clip.
“So emotional man….The GoT franchise is more than a fantasy TV show; it’s turning out to be part of us,” one person wrote.
Another fan commented, “Good casting. He’s exactly what I imagined when I read it.”
“Okay, didn’t need to cry like this, thanks. How excited he was to tell his sister. Ugh,” a third viewer said.
Peter Claffey had the exact opposite reaction to being cast as Dunk
Image credits: HBO
While Ansell was overjoyed to be cast in the fantasy drama, his co-star and former rugby player, Peter Claffey, had a drastically opposite reaction to landing the lead role.
In a behind-the-scenes conversation for HBO Max, the two actors discussed the moment they learned they had been cast as the leads.
Image credits: HBO
“Mine wasn’t as nice cause my agents rang me and I found out, and I was like, ‘God, that’s amazing.’ And then I curled into a ball and shivered on the ground because I was terrified,” Claffey recounted.
The contrast continued in the duo’s interactions with Martin, with Ansell admitting he received nothing but praise from the franchise creator. Meanwhile, Claffey confessed he “needed a lot” of advice as Martin specifically told him not to “screw up” one of his favorite stories.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 set a new record
Image credits: HBO
Claffey and Ansell’s performances helped the series receive mostly positive reviews, as it currently sits at 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The fourth episode also set a new record for the Game of Thrones universe, scoring a 9.7/10 rating on IMDb.
In the process, it became the highest-rated episode in the franchise on the platform, surpassing all episodes of the previous spin-off series House of the Dragon.
The fifth and penultimate episode of the debut season is scheduled to be released on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
The show has already been renewed for a second season, with filming of new episodes beginning in December 2025 in Ireland.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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