Diksha Sundriyal
In HBO’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ a hedge knight named Ser Duncan the Tall, aka Dunk, participates in a tourney, competing with some of the fiercest knights of his time. On the way, he stops at an inn where he crosses paths with a young boy named Egg, who expresses the desire to squire for him. Despite Dunk’s initial reluctance, he agrees to take on the boy, and together they embark on a journey that becomes the stuff of legends. There are many notable things about Egg, including his quick-witted nature, but what makes him stand out, at least initially, is his bald head, and there is a good reason why he doesn’t have hair on his head. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Egg’s Bald Head Connects to His True Identity
When Dunk first meets Egg, the boy is in rugged clothes, standing outside an inn. Dunk believes him to be the stable boy and later thinks that the inn’s owner is his mother. It is when Egg mentions his mother is dead that he realizes he had been wrong. Some time later, he discovers that this isn’t the only thing he wrongly assumed about the boy. When he asks Egg where he is from, the boy says King’s Landing. Being from Flea Bottom himself, Dunk wonders if Egg is from there as well, but the boy reveals he is not, though he doesn’t mention where he’s actually from. It later turns out that Egg is short for Aegon, and he is Aegon V Targaryen, the youngest son of Prince Maekar Targaryen.
This is the same Egg that Maester Aemon calls out to in his dying breaths in the fifth season of ‘Game of Thrones.’ He says, “Egg, I dreamed I was old,” remembering his younger brother, who would eventually become the king. As a Targaryen, Egg had the signature Targaryen hair, which would make it easy for anyone to recognise him. This would be a problem since Aegon is on the road with his brother, Daeron, for whom he is supposed to squire at the tourney of Ashford Meadow. At the same time, their father is also looking for them, particularly for young Egg. So, Daeron suggests they should cut off his hair, which would make it difficult for them to be spotted. Thus, the lack of hair on Egg’s head has to do with a strategic decision to hide his identity and pass off as commonfolk.
Dexter Sol Ansell Decided to Shave His Head to Play Egg
Egg’s baldness is an important plot point in the story, which meant that the show couldn’t be made without incorporating this detail. However, instead of using a baldcap, Dexter Sol Ansell decided that he would shave his head. Reportedly, the young actor initially thought about doing it during his audition, hoping that it would show his dedication to the role. He revealed that he had planned to go ahead with it during one of his last auditions. However, he stopped himself, considering the possibility that he might not get the role, and then he would have lost his hair for no reason. Once he was cast, he didn’t blink twice before going forward with it.
Talking about the experience of going bald, Ansell noted that it was very cold. However, he did enjoy the experience, and it also helped him enrich his performance. Still, he made the most of it, and not just on set, but also at his school. “I made kind of a business at my school because basically everyone wanted to touch my hair, and we have this youth club where you can get food and everything, and I went, ‘Right, if you want to touch my head, then you have to buy me something,” he said. This instance shows just how much the actor is like Egg, proving that he was perfectly cast for the role.
While Ansell shines as Egg in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ this isn’t his first time being a part of an iconic franchise. He has played the role of young Coriolanus Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes.’ The 11-year-old Leeds actor is also known for his work in ‘Emmerdale’ and ‘The Midwich Cuckoos.’ He is set to share the screen with ‘Game of Thrones’ alum, Maisie Williams, in ‘500 Miles,’ which also stars Bill Nighy and ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ actor Roman Griffin Davis.
Read More: Where is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Filmed? All Shooting Locations
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