A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms cast and creatives discuss crafting their own corner of Westeros during the global press conference.
The latest expansion of the world of Westeros has arrived with the premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a series that takes a decidedly different approach to the high-stakes political intrigue of its predecessors. Moving away from the epic scale of warring noble houses and the existential threat of dragons, this series invites audiences into a more grounded, earthy version of the Seven Kingdoms.
Set during an era where the Targaryen dynasty is still in power, the story focuses on the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg, providing a perspective from the common people that feels both refreshing and deeply old-school. Rather than massive battles, the narrative centers on the intimate journey of these two.
During a recent press conference, the creative team and cast discussed the unique challenges of adapting George R.R. Martin’s novellas, the irreverent tone of the production, and the intense chemistry built during filming in Belfast.
The panel featured Showrunner, Co-creator, and Executive Producer Ira Parker, alongside the show’s central duo, Peter Claffey (Ser Duncan the Tall) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg). Joining them were Tanzyn Crawford, who portrays the puppeteer Tanselle, and Shaun Thomas, who plays the honorable Raymun Fossoway.
The Targaryen family presence was felt through Finn Bennett (Prince Aerion), Bertie Carvel (Prince Baelor), and Sam Spruell (Prince Maekar), while Daniel Ings rounded out the group as Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Together, they explored how this project balances the black and white sense of chivalry with the harsh realities of survival in the mud of Westeros.
A New Side Of Westeros
Question: How does this series differentiate itself from the epic scale of Game of Thrones?
Ira Parker: “Look, like everything in this show, it all comes back to Dunk and his POV, and we don’t have that roving epic scale of going from family to family and the dead coming to kill mankind and dragons. We have one guy and some horses and a few nice trees, and it was very important for us to feel earthy.”
Ira Parker: “We don’t have any drone shots in the series. There’s nothing, because it’s not Dunk’s POV. It’s not that we would never use something like that, but for our visual language, we want the audience to feel everything that Duncan is feeling at that moment.”
The Bond Between Dunk & Egg
Question: Peter and Dexter, how did you establish your connection, and what was the preparation like?
Peter Claffey: “something clicked in that chemistry read, and we haven’t looked back since, and I hope people will enjoy the relationship we were able to bring to the screen.”
Dexter Sol Ansell: “Well, yeah, it’s weird that I’m the only kid, I guess, but because I’ve been with this for like, I know I’ve only been doing it, I started doing it for only two years, but that’s like, what, like a fifth of my life? So, it’s still a big chunk. But yeah, so it feels like I’ve been with these guys for my whole life.”
Honor, Ambiguity, and the Targaryens
Question: Westeros is a world where survival often demands stepping on others. Did you question the morality of your characters?
Finn Bennett: “Never questioned. All very fair, all very justified.”
Shaun Thomas: “I believe Raymun is very honorable, but I think his sense of survival actually is under the shackles of Stefan and when he gets to actually move around Ashford with Dunk, he kind of finds himself a little bit more free flowing and yeah, he enjoys being around Dunk.”
Daniel Ings: “But I think there is a kind of little gene of hope that exists in all of it and it’s really like expanded upon here.”
Sam Spruell: “And for the morally dubious amongst, you know, quite often the Targaryen’s to feel confronted and challenged by the goodness of Dunk.”
Bertie Carvel: “Is he just kind of kidding himself with this this dream of knighthood? So there’s possibility that the cynicism will kind of overwhelm him, and I find that very relatable in our own world, you know, I think we’re probably all asking ourselves that all the time, and whether you can find the moral courage to do the right thing, whether it feels like a wasted effort.”
Bringing George R.R. Martin’s Novella To Life
Question: Tanzyn, what was the biggest challenge in playing a character that fans have imagined for over twenty years?
Tanzyn Crawford: “it was a challenge that I really wanted to take, and I found it really fun to insert my own interpretation into Tanselle and try my best to service the book version of her while staying true to how I see her.”
Humorous Realism & Irreverence
The press conference also touched upon the show’s willingness to be irreverent, specifically a scene in the first episode where the iconic Game of Thrones theme is “smash cut” to Dunk in a decidedly unheroic position.
Peter Claffey: “It really is a good sort of exclamation point at the start to tell you what the story is. It’s got the greatness and the, you know, the theme represents that great epic element of the battles and different things of Game of Thrones, which the story has. But it’s still got the humorous side, which would be the diarrhea, I suppose, after, yeah.”
Beyond the script, the cast shared that their chemistry was forged in Belfast arcades and through games on set. Shaun Thomas noted his struggle to beat Dexter at a game called “21,” while Finn Bennett discussed the specific vision Ira Parker had for his character’s “Billy Idol” style wig.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has officially begun with its first episode. You can watch the journey of Dunk and Egg unfold on Sunday evenings on HBO Max.
NEXT: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Review
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.