Peter Dinklage's Game of Thrones filming ban, Disney row and mysterious wife

17 November 2023 , 10:55

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Peter Dinklage's Game of Thrones filming ban, Disney row and mysterious wife

Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage has swapped medieval Westeros for futuristic Panem.

The multi-award-winning American actor, 54, stars in the new Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. While he is best known for portraying Tyrion Lannister in the hit HBO series, he will take on the role of Casca Highbottom in the new film that focuses on the 10th annual Hunger Games, set 64 years before the original book. Announcing Peter's role last year, director Nathan Kahane said: "Peter is not just a fan favourite actor who brings a commanding presence to every part he plays. He is one of the best actors alive."

Peter Dinklage is most famously known for playing Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones (Getty Images)

The actor branded Disney 'f***ing backwards' for rebooting Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (Disney)

Peter, who has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, has used his celebrity status to raise social awareness of the condition. Last year, Peter expressed his distaste for Disney's live-action remake of the classic fairytale movie Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The actor, who is 4ft 4in, slated Disney as "f***ing backwards".

The 54-year-old said that he was "taken aback" when he heard about the reboot of the cartoon, which is currently being made. "I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. You're still telling the story of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me," he said furiously.

"You're progressive in one way, and you're still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together - what the f**k are you doing man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I'm not loud enough. They were so proud of that, and all love and respect to the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing, but I'm just like, 'What are you doing?'"

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Peter revealed that Game of Thrones directors confiscated phones to stop storylines from getting out (HBO)

He then explained that he would have been 'all in' if Disney had decided to put a "cool, progressive spin" on the classic fairytale. Disney responded to his critique in a statement: "To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period."

The live-action remake will be directed by Marc Webb and is being branded as an extension of the 1937 Disney animated classic, which was based on the 1812 German fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. The historic cartoon has been dubbed 'dwarfist' and 'fascist', as well as 'ableist'. Snow White And The Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart, received a barrage of backlash when it was released a decade ago as the dwarves were played by actors of average height.

The late Bob Hoskins and Ian McShane played the role of dwarves but had their faces digitally placed on smaller bodies, which led to the group Little People Of America comparing the act to 'blackface'. The actors who will play the dwarves in the new remake have not been announced as of yet.

Peter and his wife Erica Schmidt have been married since 2005 and have two children together (AFP/Getty Images)

Back in 2014, Peter gave an insight into filming Game of Thrones when he revealed that the show's producers went to great lengths to make sure storylines didn't get out. The star said that while they were filming at the various locations, they confiscated smartphones. He said: "The camera phones are very popular on set and in Croatia, we have this enormous guy and he will just take your phone and throw it - it's so refreshing!"

However, Peter doesn't use social media publicly anyway and his long-term wife, Erica Schmidt, doesn't have public accounts either. The couple, who have been married since 2005, met over two decades ago and have two children together, aged 12 and six. They are often spotted at press conferences and out running errands but maintain a private life in every other aspect.

Erica, 48, is a writer, director and actress, and has directed an impressive array of Off-Broadway productions, including Debbie Does Dallas, A Month In The Country and All The Fine Boys. Much like Peter, she has also starred in front of the camera, appearing in Miles From Nowhere in 2002. Talking about his 'brilliant' other half, Peter said in an interview: "She loves theatre. Unlike a lot of other people in our profession where film is the ultimate goal, theatre is sacred to her."

Nia Dalton