Why GoT's Tyrion Lannister Isn't Book Accurate (and Maybe For the Best)

While it's hard to imagine anyone but Peter Dinklage playing the iconic Tyrion Lannister on HBO's Game of Thrones, die-hard fans of the original George R. R. Martin books know full well that the actor bears almost no resemblance to the book's Tyrion.

Of course, Dinklage's performance in the show was nothing short of stunning, as he managed to enchant millions of fans with his take on the scheming antihero, making them forget that the book character actually looked much uglier and more repulsive than the handsome actor.

Martin described Tyrion as a dwarf with stunted legs, stubby fingers, and a protruding forehead. Given that his eyes were different colors and his hair was almost white, it's no wonder that people in Westeros were afraid to even look at him. In the show, however, Dinklage's Tyrion is as handsome as he can be, and if anyone ever feels uncomfortable around him, that's only because of the character's smarts rather than his looks.

'This was GRRMs biggest issue, that Peter was obviously the absolute perfect choice for the role, but he's legitimately too damn sexy for how he pictures Tyrion in the books,' a fan said.

In addition to his naturally hideous features, the book Tyrion was also severely scarred after the Battle of the Blackwater, having received a huge scar across his face and lost part of his nose in the fight. This made him look like a rotting corpse for the last parts of the books, and the fact that HBO decided not to ruin Dinklage's face on the show upset some book fans.

However, let's not forget that adapting a book is a pretty complex task, and the fact that the Games of Thrones producers decided to keep Dinklage's natural good looks was actually a pretty wise decision.

'If he was book accurate, I honestly think a lot of the audience wouldn't pay attention to him as much or just kind of get the fear of him and have a harder time seeing him as "normal",' another fan noted.

According to many fans, Tyrion would never have become as popular if viewers could not look at him without frowning, so undoubtedly, Dinklage's portrayal of the character actually benefited the show even though it wasn't book-accurate.

Source: Reddit.