The Best Time Tyrion Lannister Ever Broke Character On Game Of Thrones

"Game of Thrones" has seen more than its fair share of controversies, but one thing most can agree on is that the HBO series features some of the best characters of all time. It's a show about medieval political intrigue — and a dash of magic — involving dozens and dozens of named characters. But most of them are distinct, memorable, and complicated. That's one reason the series was such a huge hit.

One of the most popular characters was Tyrion Lannister, who has all the ingredients of a likable character. He's a member of the insanely rich Lannister family, yet he's not pretentious about his wealth. He's a little person living in a world that sees his size as a disadvantage, but Tyrion never once accepts other people's definitions of him. He lives life on his own terms. He enjoys life's pleasures, like wine, women, and song, but he's also made himself into one of the most adept players in the game of thrones.

Some of Tyrion's popularity is no doubt due to Peter Dinklage's all-time great performance, which netted him four Emmy wins and another four nominations. But even the most professional actors still flub a line or crack a poorly timed smile now and then, and Dinklage is no exception. It's so rare that whenever it does happen, it's even more fun.

There are many candidates for the best time Tyrion Lannister broke character from the eight seasons of "Game of Thrones," but this one stands above the rest.

The best time Tyrion broke character on "Game of Thrones" is obviously from Season 4 when Peter Dinklage and co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister) danced their way into the Court of the High Septon in King's Landing. The hundreds of extras started clapping as the onscreen brothers sashayed down the aisle to the camera for a comic close-up.

What makes this outtake even better is the context. At this point in the show, Tyrion has been falsely accused of murdering his nephew, King Joffrey Baratheon, at Joffrey's wedding to Sansa Stark. It's a devastating moment for Tyrion, especially when his love interest, Shae, falsely testifies that she and Tyrion conspired to murder the king. The sham trial ends when Tyrion is sentenced to execution, but he demands a trial by combat instead. 

Emotions were probably high on set that day, so everyone likely enjoyed the dance break, right? Not quite. According to Coster-Waldau, when their dance was finished, it was met with total silence from the crew until an assistant director asked them to reset the scene. Awkward!