Dexter Sol Ansell says George R.R. Martin praised tug-of-war scene

Collider reports that Dexter Sol Ansell said George R.R. Martin praised a tug-of-war scene on the set of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Ansell, who plays Egg, described dangling from a rope during the sequence: "It was this tug-of-war scene. I was dangling off this rope, I was holding, literally for my life, 'cause I really didn't want to fall in the mud." He said the stunt coordinator, CC Smiff, was calling moves but the cast ended up "actually playing a proper game of tug-of-war," with Ansell putting his feet on the rope to hang on.

He recalled being tossed in the air across takes, once smashing his eye into Dunk's nose; the production used that take but "cut off when I went high." Ansell said Martin told him, "Wow, you're so good, and you look and you act like you've really just jumped out the books." A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spin-off based on George R.R.

Martin's Dunk and Egg stories, premieres January 18, 2026 on HBO and has already been renewed for a second season.

Key Topics

Culture, Dexter Sol Ansell, Peter Claffey, Ser Duncan, Martin, Seven Kingdoms