Peter Dinklage is not here to rain on your parade by debunking your "Game of Thrones" conspiracy theory… no matter how off-the-wall it may be!
The Internet blew up with rumblings that the two-time Emmy winner had slyly confirmed a popular "GoT" fan theory — that his character, Tyrion Lannister, is actually the son of the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen — by starring in a commercial for Doritos Blaze and Mtn Dew Ice that aired during the Super Bowl on Feb. 4.
In the fire-versus-ice rap-battle-themed advertisement, Peter ignites a blaze while lip-syncing Busta Rhymes' verse from Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now." Morgan Freeman then brings the chill to the tune of Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On."
("A Song of Ice and Fire," anyone?)
But ultimately, the idea that the commercial is actually a major "GoT" Easter egg is all hogwash… Right?
"You know, I would love to say that, but I love when fans come up with their own theories," Peter told Wonderwall.com during a call from Belfast the day after the big game. "They make theories about everything, and it's a lot of fun — people's minds at work."
While the esteemed actor — who's currently in the process of shooting the eighth and final season of the hit HBO series — wouldn't call the Doritos Blaze-Targaryen theory "bogus" outright, he did admit that he and the folks at Frito-Lay weren't intending to stir up such a controversy — initially, anyway!
"Going in, no, it wasn't supposed to be any sort of relationship to 'Game of Thrones,'" he said. "But I would never derail any theories about anything."
The actor had bigger fish to fry — like figuring out how to appropriately mimic one of the quickest rhymers in the history of rap music — than coordinating a large-scale effort to confuse "GoT" fans.
"Busta Rhymes is just one of the fastest rappers in the history of the art form, so I did my homework," Peter said of learning the tricky "Look at Me Now" verse. "My job was to just keep up — and that was it. I did my best and held on, basically."
"But we did it many times," he added. "I was able to get many cracks at it. And back in the day, I was in a rap band. That helps. I wouldn't say I had to rap as quickly as Busta Rhymes did, but I think it did help me with my tongue twisting abilities."
And how exactly would he feel about the "many cracks" that were not so flawless hitting the web?
"Yeah, no, I don't need to see any of that," he said with a laugh.
As for his "rap band," Peter's diehard fans may remember that back in the '90s — before he was the star of one of the biggest shows on television — the "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" actor fronted a New York City-based funk-punk band called Whizzy: "I went and derailed my music career to follow another career, but I do come from a family of musicians — my brother is a violinist; my mother was a music teacher for many years," he told us. "I do have a background in music, but I definitely leave it to the professionals who can perform better than I can."
The Golden Globe winner demurred again when asked about his co-stars in the now-viral Super Bowl spot: "It's obviously a tremendous honor [to work with] the three of them," he said of Morgan Freeman, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott. "I'm still not sure why I was invited to the party. [They're] all legends in their field. I was, again, just trying to keep up."
"And also trying not to get set on fire — because the fire on the day that I shot was quite extraordinary," he added.
What's even more extraordinary is the rabid reaction to the commercial, which apparently helped the "Game of Thrones" star reconnect with some quasi-estranged family members.
"It's been lovely and overwhelming," Peter said of the way the spot has been received. "I've been hearing from friends and distant cousins that I haven't heard from in a while, so that's amazing."
And those distant family members, it seems, are responsible for telling the actor who came out on top during the showdown between the Eagles and the Patriots.
"I was not able to watch the game," Peter told us. "We don't have a TV here. I know. I've been working. I'm a terrible American."
"I have been [a football fan] at times," he added. "I haven't been lately. But my brother is. A lot of my friends are."
"I'm an actor," he continued. "Actors… sometimes we're actors because we weren't athletic when we were younger. So we do other things…"
Other things like bringing to life one of the most beloved characters on television… and starring in the most popular Super Bowl spot of 2018!