New Game Of Thrones Show’s Underdog Story Explained By 11-Year-Old Star

4 days ago 10

Dunk and Egg cheering in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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Dexter Sol Ansell, one of the co-leads of HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff, explains his character's personal underdog story. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows the adventures of the unlikely duo of Ser Duncan (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Ansell), neither seen as someone to bet on in Westeros. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere on HBO on January 18.

In a new interview shared via X, Ansell talks about Aegon "Egg" Targaryen's arc. "The character of Egg, he's very cheeky," says the 11-year-old actor. "Egg really wants to be a squire." So when he runs across "Dunk," Egg sees an opportunity, but is also hesitant, as Dunk is not a successful knight. "'This could be the only knight I could squire for.' But also, he thinks, like, 'Your belt's made of rope'."

Egg himself is not the most in-demand squire: "All the other squires, they're 10 times bigger than Egg. [...] But Egg realizes you don't actually need to be strong. As long as you're a helping hand to your knight." The new star also shared how he was nervous about getting his head shaved for the show, as the character does so to hide that he is a Targaryen prince. Check out Ansell's interview below:

Claffey also discussed his character and the show in an interview that HBO shared yesterday. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is different because it's from the perspective of someone that's never expected to amount to anything," says the actor. Dunk is a "hedge knight," with no lord to serve and thus very poor, but the young fourth son of one of the king's sons wants to be is squire, kicking off their underdog story.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, created by Ira Parker, will have a freshman season of six episodes, dropping weekly until February 23. The main cast also includes Sam Spruell, Daniel Ings, Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Henry Ashton, Tanzyn Crawford, Shaun Thomas, and Edward Ashley. Additionally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already been renewed for season 2.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also serves to keep Game of Thrones fans satisfied until the franchise's first prequel to the flagship, House of the Dragon, returns sometime later in 2026. House of the Dragon begins almost 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is in between them in the timeline, taking place a century before GOT.

House of the Dragon season 3 will continue a story more akin to the original story, tracking the ambitions of various nobles vying for control of the Seven Kingdoms through who sits on the Iron Throne. As its stars explain, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be more hopeful, as it is about determined protagonists pursuing adventures, though everyone else doubts them.