The last two years have been a whirlwind for Dexter Sol Ansell, the 11-year-old breakout star of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
“When I auditioned, I had just turned 9, and when I was playing the character, I was turning 10,” he tells Gold Derby. “It feels like I filmed it yesterday, but it also feels like I filmed it another lifetime ago. It’s crazy.”
Ansell — whose first acting gig came on the British soap Emmerdale when he was a toddler — plays the wise-beyond-his-years Aegon “Egg” Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel. For the record, he’s “never watched” the parent series, though he is “allowed to watch” what he’s worked on for the spin-off. “Unless it was, like, really bad,” he adds.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, with Martin and showrunner Ira Parker serving as co-creators. Peter Claffey leads the ensemble as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, with Egg becoming his unlikely squire.
When the cameras aren’t rolling, Ansell claims that Claffey likes to “relax and work out, and do push-ups and planks. Actually, I beat him the other day!” he smiles. “I did a 10-minute plank, which I’m pretty proud of. Good form!”
Ansell is receiving Emmy buzz for his work on the series. Just last year, 15-year-old Owen Cooper made Emmy history when he won for Adolescence, so Ansell could set a new age record. “That would mean the world to me,” he remarks. “I’m not expecting to, because all of these absolutely unbelievable actors who have spent ages trying to perform completely deserve it. But it would be mind-blowing if I’m even in the discussion. I’m so grateful I’m put forward for a Gotham, which means so much to me.”
The young actor calls his audition process for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms a “mad experience.” He “vividly” remembers being offered the role, explaining, “My cousin was an absolute huge fan of [Game of Thrones], and when we were allowed to tell her, we went straight to her house. She came out to the door, and she was like, ‘Why are you here? I literally just got out of the shower.’ I was standing there and I went, ‘I’ve got the job!’ That was crazy.”
Addressing his on-screen chemistry with Claffey, Ansell notes, “From day one, we had a bond, we made a handshake, we chatted, and we went to the arcade. We were both kids, and we were both adults. We found a path, and we connected, and we made jokes about each other. Everyone says we were arguing like a married couple, it was hilarious.”
Starring in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has made Ansell a better performer, he reckons, especially “being around all of these amazing actors,” including Claffey, Bertie Carvel, and Daniel Ings. “And there are amazing actors in Season 2, as well. I’m so inspired by all of their stories, and how good they are as actors. I’ve really listened to them, and I’ve made myself a better actor by taking elements from their acting, and trying to put them into mine. I’m carving out a career for myself, and carving out who I am as an actor.”
Egg’s passionate “get up” line to Dunk in the well-received fifth episode proved to be challenging for Ansell for one particular reason. “I was talking to a tennis ball,” he confesses. “That was really hard to act, because if you’re trying to tell someone to get up, but you end up telling a tennis ball to get up, it’s not gonna do much. It was really hard. I didn’t think about the tennis ball being there; I pictured Peter there. He’s so special to me, and I actually thought, ‘He’s about to die.’ In all those moments, that’s how I make myself feel.”
Having horses as co-stars can “sometimes be a bit annoying,” he reveals. “It’s really hard to keep them in one spot. They’re like, ‘Can you move them just a little back?’ But it’s not like they’re humans. They have to know the movements and be comfortable in those. The horse team is absolutely amazing, and they did that so well. But the horses started eating my head at one point! They just gave it a lick, and that was pretty funny.”
Season 1 ends with Egg disobeying his father and going on the run to live with Dunk, which will have ramifications in Season 2. “He doesn’t like his family,” Ansell explains. “He does, but he needs to go away because he can’t stand Aerion [Egg’s brother, played by Finn Bennett]. He needs someone who actually will love him and take care of him, and make him grow up in a good way.”
Ansell’s favorite part about playing Egg is his “two completely different sides.” He explains, “I love playing him as a Targaryen. It’s such a fun feeling putting the suit on, getting ready, stepping onto set, feeling like you’re royalty — in this amazing outfit. Acting as Aegon Targaryen, rather than Egg, it feels like you’re actually the king, and you feel so good. I love doing that.”
If Egg could pick a life for himself, “He doesn’t want to grow up in a Targaryen-esque way, in a royalty way, and learn this as normal. He’s not gonna leave them forever, but he needs to spend time with Duncan to know the other side of the world. … He would choose being just a regular person — without knowing how bad it actually was. He would do that, but slightly regret it. If he was just a random boy, I don’t think he would survive very long.”
When it’s time to film, Ansell completely transforms into Egg on set. “As soon as I hear the word action, I’m Egg. I feel like I’m actually Egg. And I feel like, ‘What, there’s an iPhone? That doesn’t exist.’ It’s like, I’m hypnotized as soon as I hear the word action. I’m Egg when I’m acting.”
As for other TV shows he’d love to appear in, Ansell names Stranger Things and the upcoming Harry Potter. For the former, “I met [the cast] at Comic-Con recently, and they’re absolutely amazing.” For the latter, “Maybe for a day, just to see the sets. … It’d be funny if I bump into Harry, walking down the hallway, when I’m on my way to class.”
Season 2 is filming now and is expected to hit HBO in early 2027. “I am really excited for everyone to see it,” Ansell concludes.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
