Peter Dinklage has spoken about missing Belfast 'terribly' after leaving the city when Game of Thrones filming wrapped up three years ago.
The actor, well-known for playing Tyrion Lannister in the hit HBO series filmed in Northern Ireland, lived in Belfast for six months of the year. He was here so often, he called the city his "home away from home."
It wasn't just Dinklage that moved to NI, his family did too. The actor revealed that in the process of living here and attending school, his daughter picked up an accent.
He told The Irish Times the role of Tyrion was "the biggest part of my life" after playing the character for nine years.
Dinklage added: "It meant so much to me working on that show and living in Ireland. It’s hard to delineate between the life of that and the role, and the show. So that definitely has had the most impact on me. Belfast was my home away from home. I miss it terribly.”
It was his role on Game of Thrones that turned the actor into a star, winning a number of awards including four Emmys.
Three years after it ended, Dinklage was asked whether or not he missed being part of the long-running show. Not only did he miss the show - he said he missed his life in Northern Ireland.
“For me, being the only American in the cast, it wasn’t just a show that I miss, it’s the life over there in Ireland," he told the Irish Independent.
"I’d live over there six months of the year, I had a daughter who went to school there, she came home to us talking with this Irish accent! I loved the community of Belfast, and of Northern Ireland… and I just miss that, I miss being a part of their lives."
Dinklage also added that he misses the actors he worked alongside, all the people who made the show work, and the people of Northern Ireland.
He continued: “Liam Cunningham [who played Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones] is one of my favourite human beings. I really miss that guy, and Dermot, my driver. I got really close to his family, and the people up there, the people of Ireland as a whole, the lifestyle there, which was so very unlike living where I live in New York city. I looked forward to it every year, and I miss it.”
Peter Dinklage's new film 'Cyrano’ will be in cinemas from February 25.
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