Peter Dinklage admitted to having a career mid-life crisis when he turned 50 over two years ago.
The Game of Thrones actor said at a press conference for his new romantic comedy She Came to Me he was contemplating whether or not to continue acting for the next 30 years.
She Came to Me, which premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday, features Dinklage as a famous opera composer named Steven who after struggling with severe writer's block tries to finish his ambitious comeback opera.
\u201cPeter Dinklage attends the "She Came to Me" premiere and Opening Ceremony red carpet during the 73rd Berlinale Film Festival.\nMore @berlinale #Berlinale2023 #GettyVideo \ud83c\udfa5Christian Ender \ud83d\udc49 https://t.co/e3bpoEobZc\u201d— Getty Images Entertainment (@Getty Images Entertainment) 1676583896
Touching on the challenge facing the main character, the movie's cast was asked how they deal with personal obstacles facing them.
Dinklage described his own situation as a "fork in the road."
“I’m 53. I wonder if I want to be an actor for the next 30 years."
“It’s a fork in the road. It’s a common story when you hit 50: there’s a fork in the road and you either wait for inspiration or you seek it out."
\u201cPeter Dinklage Says He\u2019s Questioned Whether He \u2018Wants to Be An Actor for the Next 30 Years\u2019 Since Turning\u00a050 https://t.co/KEKf6IKOEb\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1676556215
Dinklage shared his decision for the future, saying:
"I intend to keep seeking it out.”
You can watch the interview, here.
The four-time Emmy winner for GOT who got his breakthrough in the 2003 comedy-drama The Station Agent explained the unique situation facing actors when waiting for the next gig.
“Actors sit around waiting for the jobs to come. Painters can paint, writers can write, musicians can play… actors don’t have that ability."
"So, we have to wait around or create and collaborate on our own things."
"The question is, what inspires you? What inspires me is the written word at that point in my life."
"I couldn’t have played this [role] 20 years ago or 20 years from now.”
\u201c@Variety Peter is always so witty & insightful. His whole bit in that conference is inspirational.\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1676556215
\u201c@Variety To be fair, I think I found that fork in the road when I hit 43.\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1676560080
She Came to Me was written by Rebecca Miller, whose last project was the 2017 documentary Arthur Miller: Writer, about her father, playwright Arthur Miller.
Dinklage stars alongside Marisa Tomei, Joanna Kulig, Brian d'Arcy James, and Anne Hathaway–who also serves as executive producer on the film.
When the cast was asked how critical they are when watching themselves on the big screen, Hathaway said her analytical perspective changed after having experience behind the scenes.
Said Hathaway:
“People always ask me, ‘When you go to the movies do you see all the little things?'"
"And I say I actually am much nicer now because even if a scene doesn’t work, and I know it, I’m just like, ‘Aw, everybody woke up so early that day!’"
"Like, it’s so hard. It’s physically hard to make movies. I know I shouldn’t say that, and there’s much more difficult things in the world."
"But it’s a group of people coming together under the banner of hope and art.”
The Berlin Film Festival started on February 16 and runs through February 26.
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