‘Elf’: Peter Dinklage Tried to Crush Dwarf Stereotypes in the Will Ferrell Christmas Movie
The Christmas movie Elf is a holiday favorite, with millions worldwide watching it yearly. One of the movie’s most memorable scenes was between comedic star Will Ferrell and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Peter Dinklage, who has worked to destroy stereotypes surrounding dwarfism throughout his career.
Peter Dinklage’s memorable role in ‘Elf’
In the 2003 comedy, Dinklage plays Miles Finch, a children’s book author. During an important meeting, Buddy the elf (Ferrell) bursts in and mistakes Finch for one of the elves he lived alongside during his time at the North Pole.
He repeatedly calls Finch an elf, not understanding that the writer is getting extremely angry at what he perceives as insults from Buddy. He ends up jumping onto the table, running toward Buddy, and leaping on top of him.
How Peter Dinklage has fought against dwarf stereotypes, including an upcoming ‘backward’ version of ‘Snow White’
Dinklage’s role as Finch is small but memorable and is a good example of the types of parts the actor has taken on during his career. The Emmy Award winner has been very mindful of Dwarfism stereotypes and has refused to take parts that perpetuate them.
In a recent New York Times interview, the actor spoke about how his difficulty getting roles that weren’t specific to his height built up “a resentment.” He worked hard to build up a resume of interesting and dynamic roles, but Dinklage has made it clear he is not a spokesperson for those with dwarfism.
“Everyone’s different,” he shared. “Every person my size has a different life, a different history. Different ways of dealing with it. Just because I’m seemingly O.K. with it, I can’t preach how to be O.K. with it. I don’t think I still am O.K. with it. There’s days when I’m not.”
Dinklage has been outspoken in his criticism of projects that don’t handle dwarfism the right way. Recently, he spoke about an upcoming Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs remake from Disney, calling it a “backward story.”
“Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox?” he asked NPR. “I guess I’m not loud enough.” Dinklage went on to say that he would support a “cool, progressive” new version of the story.
Why Peter Dinklage considered turning down his ‘Game of Thrones’ part
There have been roles that have made Dinklage “uncomfortable” — specifically, his part as the dwarf Trumpkin in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This discomfort with how dwarves were shown made him uneasy about taking on the role of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones.
His role as Tyrion made him a household name, earning him a Golden Globe and multiple Emmys for his portrayal of the character.
During a preliminary meeting about the show, Dinklage had one request: no beard and no “pointy shoes.” The actor wanted to escape the specific look that dwarves “always have” in fantasy genre content.
“My guard was up,” he explained. “Not even my guard — my metal fence, my barbed wire was up. Even Lord of the Rings had dwarf-tossing jokes in it. It’s like, Really?”
