Actor Peter Dinklage is best known as Tyrion Lannister in the hit fantasy drama series Game of Thrones. Dinklage emerged as one of the show’s breakout stars with his character proving a fanfavorite. However, before his six-season stint in Westeros, he was also a part of another extremely popular franchise based on a series of fantasy novels.

Dinklage played the role of Trumpkin in the franchise’s second installment, Prince Caspian. During an interview, Dinklage revealed his reasoning for accepting the part of a dwarf in the $1.5 billion franchise. Here is what the actor had to say about his appearance in The Chronicles of Narnia and how it impacted his most popular role.

Peter Dinklage revealed the reason he joined The Chronicles of Narnia franchise

Peter Dinklage appeared as the cynical dwarf Trumpkin in The Chronicles of Narnia’s second installment Prince Caspian. The film grossed $419.6 million at the global box office, contributing to the franchise’s total and helping it cross the $1.5 billion mark (via The Numbers).

During an interview with NarniaWeb, Dinklage reflected on accepting the role of Trumpkin, marking his debut in the franchise in its second installment.

“I think because it’s something I don’t normally do, I like to not repeat myself and I think it came at the right time.”

Dinklage made the above statement, admitting that the part of Trumpkin offered him something different from earlier roles which was the primary reason he accepted it.

Furthermore, the multiple Emmy Award-winning actor cited director Andrew Adamson as another reason he signed on for the role. Dinklage was impressed with the storyboarding he had done for the upcoming film, describing Adamson as a kind and creative person he enjoyed collaborating with.

Peter Dinklage’s Narnia role majorly affected his Game of Thrones character

Following his appearance as a cynical dwarf in The Chronicles of Narnia, Dinklage was initially skeptical of accepting the part of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. By Dinklage’s admission, the actor does not like repeating himself, which explains why he was unsure of appearing in another fantasy novel adaptation.

During an interview with The New York Times, Dinklage revealed his hesitance to play another dwarf character in a fantasy setting when the creators of Game of Thrones approached him for the role of Tyrion Lannister in their adaption of George R.R. Martin’s novels.

“Dwarves in these genres always have this look. My guard was up. Not even my guard — my metal fence, my barbed wire was up.”

Dinklage made the above statement, explaining that fantasy genre tropes made him hesitant to accept the role, especially since he had sported a large beard for his role as Trumpkin.

To distinguish himself from the stereotypes, Dinklage insisted that his character would not have a beard or wear pointy shoes. As a result, Tyrion who has a very thick beard in the source material did not feature the iconic facial hairstyle until the very later seasons of the series.

Game of Thrones is streaming on Max.