Meet unbeatable Dexter Sol Ansell: The 11-year-old arcade champ from GOT prequel, A Knight of Seven Kingdoms

Dubai: At an HBO press conference for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, the cast revealed an unexpected thing they all have in common. They are obsessed with arcade games.

The series, based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, follows the unlikely partnership between Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg. That same dynamic appears to have translated effortlessly off-screen, particularly between Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who play Dunk and Egg.

The duo's relationship is a fun pairing, with a likeness of Laurel and Hardy, as the BBC had once said. Claffey said the two actors clicked almost immediately after their chemistry reading, long before filming began. The production schedule allowed them two full months of preparation before shooting, a period Claffey said was invaluable.

“We were really grateful to have those two months of preparation so we could spend a lot of time together,” he said.

Ansell was just nine years old when they first met. He is now eleven, and Claffey was quick to dismiss any assumptions about working with a child actor.

“The illusion of an immature kid dissipates very, very quickly,” Claffey said. “Dexter is such an impressive, mature little man. It feels like you’re working with an actor that has been in the industry for 50 years.”

During filming in Belfast, the two spent so much of their free time together. Their off-set bonding included horse riding, combat training, and regular hangouts at Ansell’s house. But one activity stood out above the rest.

“The arcade was a big, big part of our relationship,” Ansell said. “We really connect through that.”

Their bond mirrors the brother-like relationship between Dunk and Egg in the series, something both actors say developed naturally from day one.

When the topic turned to Mario Kart, a friendly rivalry quickly emerged. Both Claffey and Ansell insisted they were the better player, sparking a brief debate during the interview.

“It’s me. We always have this talk. It’s me,” Ansell said repeatedly, sounding confident in his victory. Based on other cast stories, he may be right.

Shaun Thomas, who plays Ser Raymun Fossoway, also admitted defeat by Ansell’s hands. One of his biggest challenges on set, he said, was trying to beat Dexter in a game called 21, which they played frequently during downtime.

“Dexter knew all the ins and outs of the game and I could never beat him,” Thomas said.

Claffey explained that the game involves counting numbers where each player can only say three numbers at a time, and whoever lands on 21 loses. According to the cast, Ansell has never lost.

Chess also became a regular pastime during production. Claffey finally secured his first win against Ansell while filming season two and said he has no intention of playing again.

“I want to keep my win streak,” he joked.

From arcade battles to chess boards, the cast’s shared love of games appears to have strengthened their real-life camaraderie, adding another layer to a story built on loyalty, friendship, and growing up in Westeros.

UAE fans can watch the show on OSN+ as it will stream the highly anticipated HBO Original series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, exclusively in the Middle East and North Africa.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.