{"id":494040,"date":"2026-02-23T12:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494040\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:14:11","slug":"sam-spruell-on-maeka-and-egg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494040\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Spruell on Maeka and Egg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains major spoilers from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/a>\u2019 season one finale, \u201cThe Morrow.\u201d]<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Sam Spruell<\/a>\u2019s indelible turn on Fargo<\/a><\/a> season five, it was only a matter of time before another high-profile television universe scooped him up. The British actor now finds himself as a prickly Targaryen prince on Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin\u2019s Game of Thrones<\/a> prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. (Spruell also appeared on a couple episodes of Dune: Prophecy, which he shot before the world saw his portrayal of a \u201c500-year-old sin-eater\u201d on Fargo.)<\/p>\n

\n\tSpruell\u2019s Prince Maekar Targaryen serves his royal dynasty roughly 90 years before the mothership series and nearly 80 years after House of the Dragon<\/a>. He\u2019s a widowed single father who\u2019s badly missed the mark in raising his three sons, Daeron, Aerion and Aegon (\u201cEgg\u201d). He\u2019s also long lived in the shadow of his more popular older brother, Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), the heir to the Iron Throne. Maekar\u2019s personal shortcomings reach their peak in and around season one\u2019s central event: the jousting tournament at Ashford Meadow.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s where Maekar and Aerion (Finn Bennett) discover that Aegon (Dexter Sol Ansell) and Daeron did not arrive at the tourney as scheduled. Ser Duncan \u201cDunk\u201d the Tall (Peter Claffey) then butt heads with the lunatic that is Aerion over the latter\u2019s assault of a puppeteer, prompting Aegon to intervene on behalf of the hedge knight he\u2019d secretly been squiring for under the alias of Egg. The drunken Daeron is soon found nearby and to clear himself of neglecting Aegon, he falsely accuses Dunk of kidnapping his youngest brother. Aerion proceeds to challenge Dunk to a \u201ctrial of seven,\u201d in which the accused and the accuser each recruit six champions for combat.<\/p>\n

\n\tSensing the injustice being wrought by his own family, Baelor joins Dunk\u2019s side in the trial. And following a hard-fought battle, Dunk compels Aerion to withdraw his accusation. Afterwards, Dunk bends the knee to Baelor before the prince unexpectedly drops dead from a fatal head wound he received at the hand of Maekar. In the finale, Maekar insists that the Gods know it was an accident, but Spruell believes his character is just telling himself what he needs to hear.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMaekar is so susceptible to self-delusion. How handy that you can refer to the Gods knowing it\u2019s an accident to absolve you of your crimes?\u201d Spruell tells The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cKings and rulers of lands have been doing that for years, saying, \u2018Well, God thinks I\u2019m innocent,\u2019 when clearly they\u2019re guilty. So it\u2019s a very good depiction of corrupt power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tActing on Egg\u2019s fondness for Dunk, Maekar tries to find a compromise by offering Dunk a home at Summerhall. He can train Egg as his squire and complete his own training by way of the castle\u2019s master-at-arms. Citing royal exhaustion, Dunk rejects Maekar\u2019s offer and later counters by asking if he can take the young lad on the road with him. But Maekar refuses to let his royal blood live like a \u201cpeasant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c[Aegon] is his last chance to have an heir that\u2019s worth anything at all and isn\u2019t a drunk or a violent psychopath. Aegon is his last chance to succeed as a dad. That\u2019s why he makes Dunk an offer and rejects Dunk\u2019s offer. He wants to control it,\u201d Spruell says. \u201cEverything Maekar touches doesn\u2019t work out for him, and there\u2019s enormous vulnerability there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSpruell with Ser Duncan \u201cDunk\u201d the Tall (Peter Claffey) in Knight of Seven Kingdoms.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the end, Egg gives his family the slip again in order to roam across the lands with a faux hedge knight who\u2019s every bit as honorable as the most genuine knights in Westeros. However, he lies to Dunk about receiving Maekar\u2019s permission to be his traveling squire. The season then concludes with Maekar yelling, \u201cWhere the fuck is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt says something about Aegon\u2019s judgment of where he\u2019s going to get the best paternal figure. There is a wisdom to Dunk that comes naturally and instinctually, and I don\u2019t think Maekar will ever get close to it,\u201d Spruell shares. \u201c[Aegon] can see that if he\u2019s to be the person that he wants to be, he must follow Dunk rather than his own father, which is unbelievably upsetting for Maekar. So I hope that some of that upset and humiliation will be explored potentially in future books or seasons of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile it may not be a surprise to readers of Tales of Dunk and Egg, Martin\u2019s series of novellas about the odd pairing, Spruell confirms he will not appear in season two. \u201cNever say never, but I\u2019m pretty sure that there will be other stories to tell [with Maekar],\u201d Spruell adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, during a spoiler conversation with THR, Spruell also discusses his overall thoughts on the creative \u201cgive-and-take\u201d between source material and adaptation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tI had Bisquick this morning in your honor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) This sounds ridiculous, but Bisquick sent me a massive supply. It went to my manager, and I\u2019ve still got to pick it up. But it\u2019s so funny that the Bisquick references have stuck around. I love it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the uninitiated, that was a reference to your unforgettable role on Fargo season five. Would you say that there\u2019s been a Fargo effect on your career? Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms an example of it?<\/p>\n

\n\tFargo is predominantly one of the best bits of work that I\u2019ve done. I got to work on such good writing. It may not have the sheer size of the Game of Thrones\u2019 world and audience numbers and fan zealotry, but I\u2019m sure there was some effect. Nothing has ever really smashed [my career] open. Most of us actors, we chip away at trying to do good work with really good people like Noah Hawley or Ira Parker. You just carry on working and hopefully something breaks it open wide enough to either get you the next job or move you up a rung into a sustained run of really good parts.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSam Spruell as Ole Munch on Fargo season five.<\/p>\n

\n\tSome actors avoid source material in case it conflicts, even minimally, with the scripted material. Which way did you go with regard to Tales of Dunk and Egg, specifically The Hedge Knight?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI certainly read the latter novella that the first season is based on. The scripts and the novella are actually really close. The fans of the books seem to love the fact that the scripts follow the book so closely. So it made sense for me to read the book, and then you just have to act the script. It was not an easy one, but I knew what I was doing with it. I\u2019m essentially playing a dysfunctional father to three quite difficult children who remind him of his own failings. So I really felt in touch with the domestic nature of it, separate from the Targaryen-Game of Thrones world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTV actors also seem to be split on how much they should know about their long-term character arc. Some prefer to only know what their character knows at any given moment. But it sounds like you don\u2019t seem to mind knowing the big picture.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I see what you\u2019re saying. Your job as an actor is to be in the moment of what your character knows at that time. So I really don\u2019t find it confusing to know the full story and then play the scene as it should be played with the character\u2019s existing knowledge at that point. So, no, I don\u2019t mind it. In fact, I prefer it. The stories you hear of scripts being [withheld] from actors for certain jobs, I\u2019m not really into that. I like to get a sense of what the piece is as a whole. You are working not just for the intricacies and development of your own character, but you are also understanding the piece as a whole and what its tone is and what other people are doing. So knowing the wider project hopefully gives me and my acting a greater depth of understanding.<\/p>\n

\n\tGeorge R.R. Martin did a cover story with THR recently<\/a>, and his personal experience with each of the Game of Thrones\u2019 adaptations has been a mixed bag. I do sympathize with him, but his books were once considered unadaptable due to their scale, so concessions are inevitable. Do you have any thoughts on the eternal tug of war between source material and adaptation?<\/p>\n

\n\tI feel like that tug of war represents the creative process \u2014\u00a0not just between the source material author and the showrunner of an adaptation \u2014\u00a0but between actors, between showrunners and actors, between directors and actors. Any creative process that involves relationships is give-and-take. It is a collaboration that involves the offering and rejection of ideas, and not everyone winds up wholly satisfied in the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIra has proven himself very good at keeping everyone\u2019s ideas alive and carefully plotting a course using as many of them as he can. With regard to his relationship with Martin, he made a decision that he was going to stick very closely to the books. I think that made George happy, and it\u2019s turned out great, so maybe there is a lesson in that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut we\u2019ve also witnessed adaptations that have strayed away from the source material, and they\u2019ve still been fantastic. So I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any hard-and-fast rules on this. It\u2019s just the creative process. You either get lucky and make a good piece of work, or you get less lucky. But you\u2019ve got to try. You\u2019ve got to risk it for a biscuit and see what turns out.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the penultimate episode, Maekar accidentally kills his older brother Baelor (Bertie Carvel) with his mace. They only quickly showed the death blow during the trial in order to preserve the surprise for later. But did you guys still shoot a version that was more prominent in case editorial changed their mind about how they wanted to present it?<\/p>\n

\n\tI think they were clear with what they wanted to do, but maybe they did. I wasn\u2019t involved in that. That was my stunt double. I\u2019d love to say that I was on the horse doing all those fights, but at that point, it became a stunt show, which I thought they did fucking fantastically. They probably would\u2019ve had different versions where it was a more obvious, more clean presentation of what you saw.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s especially tragic is that Dunk had the fight wrapped up before the death blow happened. It wasn\u2019t officially over, but it was essentially over.<\/p>\n

\n\tMaekar, even though he knows he\u2019s dealt that fatal blow, there\u2019s something in him that doesn\u2019t want to completely own up to it. He\u2019s probably got conflicting feelings about his brother\u2019s death anyway. He\u2019s sad and he also knows what opportunity his death represents for his own future. So I love that ambiguity about a brother\u2019s death meaning something tragic and also something progressive about your own life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, Maekar later says that the Gods know it was an accident, but does he truly believe that deep down?<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat I love is that you don\u2019t really know. Maekar is so susceptible to self-delusion, and he doesn\u2019t want to even get close to admitting that it may have been on purpose. And how handy that you can refer to the Gods knowing it\u2019s an accident to absolve you of your crimes. Kings and rulers of lands have been doing that for years, saying, \u201cWell, God thinks I\u2019m innocent,\u201d when clearly they\u2019re guilty. So it\u2019s a very good depiction of corrupt power.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSam Spruell.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGerald Matzka\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tHow much did his guilt affect his decision-making in the finale? Is his offer to Dunk an example of that? What about his rejection of Dunk\u2019s own offer?<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think guilt impacted his decision-making a great deal. His youngest son, Aegon [Egg], is his last chance to prove himself as a father. He\u2019s his last chance to have an heir that\u2019s worth anything at all and isn\u2019t a drunk or a violent psychopath. Aegon is his last chance to succeed as a dad. So his judgment is more clouded by a need to not fail again. That\u2019s why he makes Dunk an offer and rejects Dunk\u2019s offer. He wants to control it. Everything Maekar touches doesn\u2019t work out for him, and there\u2019s enormous vulnerability there. He is pretty much a failure as a father. I\u2019m a dad myself, and not all of parenting is a success. So I can relate to making mistakes, but Maekar\u2019s parenting leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

\n\tEgg runs away to be with Dunk, but he lies to Dunk about it being approved by Maekar. His youngest son would rather spend his days with an impostor hedge knight than his own royal family. That\u2019s got to be a real gut punch for Maekar on the heels of killing Baelor.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, exactly. It says something about Aegon\u2019s judgment of where he\u2019s going to get the best paternal figure and where he\u2019s going to learn about the world in a more morally stable way. There is a wisdom to Dunk that comes naturally and instinctually, and I don\u2019t think Maekar will ever get close to it. That\u2019s what makes Dunk\u2019s heroic nature so compelling. It is just in him in a way that it\u2019s not in Maekar. So Egg can see that as well. He can see that if he\u2019s to be the person that he wants to be, he must follow Dunk rather than his own father, which is unbelievably upsetting for Maekar. So I hope that some of that upset and humiliation will be explored potentially in future books or seasons of the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor those of us who are unfamiliar with the books, how much do you know about season two?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tVery little. I just know that it follows the book. So, if you know the source material, then you\u2019ll know what to expect. There will always be a slight twist on what you\u2019ve read, and there is also more of an earthy feel to this show. There are no dragons. There is just the land and the people on it. The stripped bareness of season one will certainly maintain in season two. If anything, I think it will be stripped more bare, and you\u2019ll really see the fabric of their being. So season two is going to be really interesting, and they\u2019re shooting it right now.<\/p>\n

\n\tAre you shooting something else first?<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m not going to be in season two.<\/p>\n

\n\tWow, I really should read these books. Based on the finale, I assumed Maekar was going to be hot on Dunk and Egg\u2019s heels throughout season two.<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, we\u2019ll see. Never say never, but I\u2019m pretty sure that there will be other stories to tell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBefore Maekar concludes season one by asking, \u201cWhere the fuck is he [Egg]?\u201d an updated title card appears on the screen: A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms. Do you know if that\u2019s the official name of the show going forward? <\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t, no. I wish I could tell you more on that, but I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs far as your known future goes, I believe you just shot your first genuine horror movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I just shot my first horror movie with a brilliant director [Jacob Chase], and it is part of the Insidious franchise [Insidious: The Bleeding World]. I play the completely deranged villain of the piece, and I loved doing it. I love being a part of the franchise because there are so many fun characters in it. It was shot in a way that was brilliantly inventive and brilliantly collaborative. I think it\u2019s going to be great actually. We had a lot of fun with this character I played. He\u2019s a kind of cult leader who\u2019s a complete narcissist and completely obsessed with his own power. I just adored playing him, which might say something about me, I\u2019m afraid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t***
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming in full on HBO Max.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains major spoilers from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u2019 season one finale, \u201cThe Morrow.\u201d] After…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[99162,49,48,75,79182,45168,57216,198261],"class_list":{"0":"post-494040","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-fargo","13":"tag-game-of-thrones","14":"tag-house-of-the-dragon","15":"tag-sam-spruell"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}