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FROM THE SEVEN KINGDOMS TO THE ICE AGE

Peter Dinklage talks about his first animated role in 'Ice Age: Continental Drift'

By Kent Laird
Lead editor, MSN Movies

Over the past year, the awards have started to arrive for veteran film and television actor Peter Dinklage for his role as Tyrion Lannister on HBO's "Game of Thrones," but the actor who caught many people's attention in his nominated role in "The Station Agent" has turned his attention in a slightly new direction. Dinklage has recently taken aim at a decidedly much younger audience, joining the cast of "Ice Age" as Gutt, the pirate, in "Ice Age: Continental Drift" alongside franchise stars Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Queen Latifah. Dinklage took a few minutes to talk with MSN Movies about his first turn in animation, his respect for the movie makers and why it's fun to play the villain. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is out in theaters July 13.

MSN Movies: You've worked in movies and TV for quite some time, but is this the first major voice-over work you've done?

Peter Dinklage: It sure is, yeah. I've done a few other small things, but this is definitely the first meaty animated role I've been in.

Bing: More about 'Ice Age: Continental Drift' | More about Peter Dinklage

You are known for playing pretty complex characters. What drew you to the character of Gutt?

Basically, they called and asked if I'd be interested, and I jumped at the chance. I'm such a huge fan of animation and the process that goes into computer animation, and I wanted to be part of it. They showed me some early concepts of what Gutt would look like, and it looked great.

Related: A history of 'Ice Age'
 
It's inspiring to be around the people involved in movies like this, and there's no cynicism involved. I love being around those creative people. They really love what they do.

So you were able to visually see the character, or some resemblance of the character, you were going to be before you started the VO work?

Yes, yes, exactly, and then we played around with it, experimented with different versions, and we landed on the one that is in the film. It was great. FOX and Blue Sky let me experiment with the character so that it was appropriate to the material that was provided. I appreciate that as an actor.

So, after spending so much time in the character of Gutt, what do you think makes him tick, and what can audiences look for?

Loyalty. Greed, they're not all good things. [Laughing] he expects a lot out of his crew and expects a certain amount of loyalty from them all. He likes to sing songs and likes to have a good time.

One of the sessions, they brought in a song for me to sing, and I had a fear that they may do that because I'm not really a big singer, but it was a lot of fun.

Previous to filming, had you seen any of the previous "Ice Age" movies, and was it fun to join such a successful and well-cast franchise?

Yeah, I had seen the first one. There are some things they can do with animation that is really beautiful. There is a lot of water in this movie, and I just saw it the other night, and it looks so real, it's simply amazing. It's really great. The detail that goes into these things is beyond my skill set to comprehend how they even do it. But it's great to be a part of something like that. Plus, I got to go to work in jeans and a T-shirt and there was no makeup trailer. Just go right up the street to the studio and go to work. It's a great gig.

In many roles you've had, you have played the antagonist or maybe the not-so-nice guy. Do you have a preference for them, or is it just how it's worked out?

Well, the villain gets to have more fun, don't they? They get to have fun. I'm not really drawn to them exclusively, but there's something about them where they can be more complex than other characters and, like many other actors, you  become drawn to complicated roles.

And you always hear it's so fun to play the bad guy.

Yeah, it's great. You can't in life, but you can in the movies, so it's cool.

Is there any part of your own personality that you have brought into Gutt? Loyalty?

Yeah, nah ... no. I don't like confrontation, I don't like being yelled at and I don't really enjoy yelling at other people, but I felt that it was ok to do it in a film like this where I was protected by an orangutan and other animated characters. I'm a vegetarian. I'm a pacifist. I run away from conflict, so I didn't bring too much of myself into the role, but perhaps some of me came out in the work. But at the end of the day, I put those type of traits back deep in me from where they came from.

You are a new father. Congratulations. Has the birth of your daughter made you look at opportunities any differently?

Um, definitely a little differently. You definitely get a bit more guarded once you have a kid, but she's not going to see any of these things for a while. Down the road you want to be proud of what you've done more and more. I try to successfully, and often unsuccessfully, pick the right gigs. But this [the birth of his first daughter] definitely turns that dial up a bit.
 
Is there any piece of advice you've been given that sticks with you or that you like to pass on when asked?

Well, I love the [Samuel] Beckett quote "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." It's sort of like whatever your idea of failure is, get back up if you do fall down. I like that idea. I think it's important to fail once in a while.

"Ice Age: Continental Drift" is out in theaters July 13.

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