Fandom can be brutal, and when fans think they know who should or shouldn't play a role, they're very vocal about it. Even with roles that are eventually praised, casting announcements often get a lot of backlash, especially when they're based on an existing property. It was no different with the HBO juggernaut "Game of Thrones." Fans of the book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin had definite ideas in their heads about what each character looked like, and they had very strong opinions when the notices came out.

Peter Dinklage won four Emmy Awards for playing the role of Tyrion Lannister, but fans weren't happy when his name was mentioned. Martin said in a Sky News interview that Dinklage was the first and only choice for the role, and that they never read with anyone else, or even had meetings. He said he still thinks Dinklage most embodies the character he wrote, but sometimes you can't convince a fan base about some things, no matter what is said or who said it. It was this sort of thing that gave Dinklage a taste of what he was in for with "Game of Thrones."

In an interview with Variety, Dinklage discussed the backlash he got early on, and how it changed as the show progressed.

'I Drink And I Know Things'

Peter Dinklage told the site:

"Early on, there was a lot of backlash about the original casting choices — because everybody has an opinion, especially online where everybody's anonymous, and they can say whatever they want. Everybody's a journalist; everybody's a critic. It was funny to see, as we started doing the show, they got quieter and quieter about the casting — which was nice because it meant they started to eventually like what we were doing."

Of course they did. Dinklage was amazing in the role, despite what happened in the final season. (I will not apologize. It was a dark, rushed mess.) It's interesting to note that George R.R. Martin does mention in the Sky News interview that Dinklage is taller and more handsome than the Tyrion in the book, which was one criticism of the casting.

Obviously though, there was no one better to play the role, and Dinklage deserved every Emmy he got and then some. Although we won't see Tyrion again, we can all head back to Westeros when the "Game of Thrones" prequel series "House of the Dragon" premieres on HBO Max on August 21, 2022.

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