Ask any Game of Thrones fan what they loved most about the show and they’ll probably say Peter Dinklage. You know, that and the other stuff that didn’t really involve him too much. The dragons, of course. But all jokes aside, the silver-tongued dwarf Tyrion Lannister was by far one of the highlights of the whole series. Even in the final season of the show, Tyrion was still very funny to listen to and earned himself a spot on the king’s council. That little man can talk his way in and out of anything. I remember seeing Peter Dinklage for the first time in Elf and man, what an introduction that was. He actually rag dolled Will Ferrell like he was nothing. Looks like Yoda was right when he said that size matters not. But just imagine Peter Dinklage being the biggest guy in the room. No, seriously, that actually happened. Go watch Avengers: Infinity War and see him tower above Chris Hemsworth. His character, the very big dwarf Eitri, was the one who forged the gauntlet to harness the infinity stones. I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t appear in Endgame, but it was quite the surprise seeing him in Infinity War, let alone the biggest character in it.
And about Game of Thrones, no matter what you think about the final season, it doesn’t take away what Peter Dinklage brought to it. He is still one of the best elements of the show and that will always be his signature role. That could change in the years to come, but I find it almost impossible to top Tyrion. He probably doesn’t have to but on a fun side note, he’s just as sharp-tongued in real life. Just go back and listen to what he said about the fan reaction to the Game of Thrones finale. Yeah, that was probably the wrong thing to say, but I can’t blame the man for defending his work. In his defense, he did put many years into that show, so I won’t hold it against him. I will give Peter Dinklage credit where it’s due, he speaks what’s on his mind. For instance, just listen to what he had to say about the upcoming live-action Snow White movie. Guess what he commented about? While appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Peter Dinklage gave his thoughts about the upcoming remake and they weren’t exactly supportive. To put it short, he commented on the casting of Rachel Zegler and the whole idea of seven dwarfs living in a cave. While throwing around a few f-bombs, he made it clear that he wasn’t too happy about it.
To be more clear, in no way was he being disingenuous about Rachel Zegler playing Snow White. According to him, he was taken aback by the fact that Disney is proud that they casted a Latina actress to play Snow White. From his point of view, Disney is being progressive in one way, but they are also still telling that same “backwards” story about the seven dwarfs living in a cave together. He went on to rhetorically ask if he has done enough to advance the cause of his soapbox and claim that maybe he’s not loud enough. Of course, he did throw in some f-bombs in there, which just reinforces on how serious he is about the subject. I want to try and explain where Peter Dinklage is coming from here. At first glance, he does come off as rather disingenuous. I mean, does the word dwarf offend him that much or is it the fact that the seven dwarfs are being portrayed as cartoony side characters? The seven dwarfs are characters based on a fantasy story. At the end of the day, it’s all fictional, so what’s the big deal? Well, I’d say that Peter Dinklage is offended by the idea of the Seven Dwarfs coming back to the screen because they’re dwarfs, like him. However, he probably doesn’t like how the old Snow White movie used their small stature to make them look funnier. Sure, it’s still an animated movie, but this was also made during the time when Disney didn’t exactly care about portraying certain groups of people in a negatively stereotypical way.
Times have changed now and I’m sure Peter Dinklage is like everyone else in the sense that he wants to see his group of people evolve from the past stereotype roles they were portrayed as in the past. I think everyone is in that boat. When our own group of people are portrayed in a rather stereotypical way, we understandably get frustrated about it. I think the point Peter Dinklage is ultimately trying to make is that he doesn’t want to see people with dwarfism portrayed in a comedic way. The fact that it’s a story based on fantasy doesn’t seem to matter to him. I get where he’s coming from, but I also don’t have the condition he has. Given that Snow White is a fantasy story, I personally wouldn’t be too bothered by it. Peter Dinklage obviously feels different about it, but that’s because he’s a dwarf himself. By playing Tyrion Lannister, he made a dwarf character one of the most influential television characters ever. He has done that for people like him and he probably wants to expand on it. Having the cartoony seven dwarfs back in the public eye brings that progress a few steps back, at least in his eyes.
Does Peter Dinklage have a point? I would say yes. He definitely came off pretty strong, but to his credit, he wants to be heard. If he can keep playing strong characters with dwarfism, then he’ll continue to break that negative stereotype. I personally think he already has, thanks to his part in Game of Thrones. If he feels like he can do more, then by all means, let him do his thing. It’s pretty hard to doubt the guy after several years of Tyrion Lannister. What do you make of Peter Dinklage and his comments? Do you think he has a point or is he overreacting? This is all a reminder that film is, at the end of the day, totally subjective.Chris Hemsworth
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