A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner reveals why there’s no concern about star Dexter Sol Ansell ageing as Egg
Egg star Dexter Sol Ansell was nine years old when he began acting in the first season of the Game of Thrones spin-off.
Given how long it can take to film a season of TV, let along multiple seasons, there's always one big potential problem with long-running series that star child actors. They grow up.
This was certainly the case with Stranger Things, with the show taking 10 years to film and release, despite taking place over four years. The central child characters went from being 12 to 16, while the actors playing them were in their early 20s come the final season.
Now, some are concerned that the same situation will affect A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new Game of Thrones prequel/spin-off series, which stars worried as one half of the central duo, Egg. However, showrunner Ira Parker isn't among them.
Parker spoke to Variety, and was asked whether he was worried about Ansell, who was nine when he filmed in season 1, ageing out of the role of Egg.
He said: "Dexter is going to have whatever career he decides that he wants. He’s so talented. He’s come in season 2 like an old pro. He’s so confident, calm, and he can give you different versions now. He’s really come into himself. I think he’s the best child actor on Earth, there’s no doubt about it."
Parker continued: "The planned books that George has take Dunk and Egg through their whole lives. I’ve joked about this with HBO, to which I’ve definitely got some eye rolls, but I would love to do three, four or five seasons with Egg the boy and then come back in five or 10 years and do a few more with Egg the prince.
"Then come back in five or 10 years from then and do him at the end of his life — Linklater method. They go off, do whatever they want to do in between, they can have lives, then we come back and get the crew back together and we tell a little bit more of the story because I think it would be really interesting.
"The idea of taking two people on a journey through their lives, I haven’t seen a lot of that. But I embrace the oldening of Dexter and Egg. He’ll grow older with the character; he’s supposed to get older. Hopefully, it’s not all based on him having a cute, high voice.
"We understand how important that is right now, but hopefully he will develop and the characters will develop, and it will still be a lot of fun."
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Ansell recently revealed an interaction he had with George RR Martin, the author behind the A Song of Ice and Fire and the Dunk and Egg books.
Ansell said that Martin was full of praise for his portrayal, with the author having said: "Wow, you're so good, and you look and you act like you've really just jumped out the books".
"And that's amazing to hear from the creator of my character," Ansell said.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
