Peter Dinklage wows
The Game of Thrones star is fearsome in a new satirical black comedy
THE MOB BOSS Peter Dinklage plays Roman Lunyov, a murderous Russian mafia boss in I Care a Lot – directed by Jonathan Blakeson.
In this darkly comedic Netflix thriller, Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) and her lover, Fran (Eiza Gonzalez), run a crafty operation taking legal guardianship of elderly people who have been deemed by the courts as unable to take care of themselves. They entrap old-timers in a home before drugging them and robbing them of all their possessions, until they run out of money or die.
They face an unexpected hurdle in the form of Peter’s character, the son of wealthy, retired businesswoman Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), who’s onto their sneaky scam. “My character seems like the bad guy and he does a lot of bad things but he’s actually a lot more cowardly than people think because he hides behind guns and muscles that do most of the dirty work for him,” Peter said. “I’ve found playing that character to be really fun.”
JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES Peter, who won an Emmy for his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, is also a producer and theatre performer. “I loved acting, so I didn’t want to tarnish it with bad experiences. You just want to feel comfortable with who you are at the end of the day if you can.”
The 51-year-old has often spoken about his height, maintaining that, “My size does not define me. It’s just part of who I am, so why would it define a character? The roles I choose, it’s part of who they are but it does not define them.
“Especially nowadays, a black actor doesn’t play a black actor. He plays a character, who also happens to be black. It doesn’t define you; it’s just part of you.”
SAWARD-WORTHY Critics were predicting I Care a Lot would sweep the Golden Globes, thanks in no small part to Peter’s performance.
“Peter Dinklage doesn’t need to prove what he can do with his face,” says film critic Pramit Chatterjee. “He’s shown that in ample proportions throughout Game of Thrones. Am I right? Yet, here he is to show why he’s so good at his job. He’ll put the fear of God in you with this role.”
Peter is hopeful that viewers will learn a valuable lesson from this film. “Since the elderly are so vulnerable – more now than ever with Covid – yes, it’s a dark satire but I think it should convey a message of what these administrations and places should not do and the company they should not keep.”