Top Five Performances: Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage caught my attention the first time I saw him, with his miniscule but hilarious role in Elf.  It took a couple more appearances (both of which make this list) for me to fully board the Dinklage train, but once I did, there was no turning back.  I’ve seen a wide swathe of his film and television roles, and these, for my money, are the best.

Tito (Living in Oblivion)

Dinklage made an excellent debut in this odd little indie film about the making of an odd little indie film (it also features dream sequences about filming a dream sequence – meta, thy name is Living in Oblivion.)  Tito, a long-suffering actor, voices his disapproval throughout the shoot, first passive aggressively and later explicitly in this epic rant about dwarfs in dream sequences.

Fin McBride (The Station Agent)

Fin is definitely Dinklage’s breakout role and, for me, the “I will love this actor forever” role.  It’s a subtle but searing performance of a quiet loner slowly coming into a family.  By turns, he’s wonderfully deadpan, righteously indignant, heartbreaking, falling apart at the seams, and gently courageous.  He’s a fantastic introvert protagonist; I love introducing people to this character.

Maurice (Tiptoes)

Make no mistake – Tiptoes is a hot mess of a film.  It’s all over the place, an interesting idea with really haphazard execution.  However, I’ll basically forgive all of it (including the weirdness of casting Gary Oldman in the lead as a man with dwarfism, not to mention one meant to be the same age as Matthew McConaughey) for the sake of Dinklage’s performance.  He’s awesome as Maurice, the immensely watchable friend of Oldman’s character with a lust for life, a penchant for trouble, and a somewhat ridiculous French accent.  True, it would’ve made far more sense to cast him as the lead, but then we would’ve missed out on this unforgettable performance.

Arthur Ramsey (Threshold)

Though Threshold, a short-lived series about a cobbled-together team of experts investigating an alien invasion, isn’t as good as it could have been, Ramsey is made of win.  I hadn’t known that a cocky, hard-drinking, womanizing linguist was something I needed in my life, but it totally is.  Dinklage does equally well with Ramsey’s self-destructive tendencies, his probing intellect, and his more reflective side.

Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Apparently, Ramsey prefaced this role – here’s another cocky, hard-drinking, womanizing brainiac with a sharp tongue, but Tyrion is so distinct from Dinklage’s work on Threshold.  He’s entirely his own character, a real treat to watch.  Dinklage wonderfully portrays his gambles, fears, insecurities, blusters, ecstasies, victories, and despairs.  From his moments of heroism to his darker limits, Tyrion always keeps me guessing, and I’m so glad to have him on my TV.