Game of Thrones‘ newest spinoff series is coming soon. And this time, we’re looking at a more light-hearted, comedic entry into the world. At the center of this story is the just-doing-his-best Hedge Knight, Ser Duncan the Tall. Duncan is trying to be a good person in a bad world, and that’s hard work. But we know we’ll love him a lot. To help set the scene for anyone who hasn’t yet met Dunk in George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, actor Peter Claffey, who plays Dunk in HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, gave Nerdist and other press a hilarious comparison to share. Claffey revealed that his Dunk as a “less sexy, less charismatic, Geralt of Rivia.”
In full, Claffey shared, “That first season of The Witcher with Henry Cavill, my brother” gave him some inspiration for his turn as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He revealed, “To be honest with you, I’ve told myself that I’m not allowed to have a PlayStation. I do not get anything done. But I went home for a while after and watched my brother play The Witcher 3. And I watched The Witcher. But Henry Cavill’s Geralt, I feel, there is this kind of this comparison where it’s like Dunk, he’s kind of a less sexy, less confident, less charismatic Geralt of Rivia.”
We are obsessed with this vision of Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And honestly, we like the thought that he’s less sexy, confident, and charismatic. Dunk, at his heart, he’s really just trying to be a good knight. And that earnestness will absolutely win us over.
For more of Claffey’s thoughts on the new Game of Thrones series and playing Dunk, check out our full interview with Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, Dunk’s squire, on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
HBO’s newest Game of Thrones spinoff series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, releases on January 18, 2026. It’s synopsis shares, “A century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds theIron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.“