Penny (possible spoilers)

[Lady Kay]

I haven't really reached her part yet but my friend was telling me about her. Do you think they'll bring her into the series and who do you think could/should play her.

[victim]

I feel as though she may be cut entirely as her role isn't extremely important. Of course that all depends on what George has planned for her.

I'm pretty sure she has the flux as of the end of ADwD (?) and her only purpose was as a kind of mirror image to Tyrion; her innocence counteracts the vile conscience that he develops during ASoS.

[rmanoj]

I hope she's cut.

Her (and Jorah) randomly bumping into Tyrion felt so contrived. "Dwarf fight"...ugh. I doubt Peter Dinklage will be particularly enthused by that whole arc.

[Lady Kay]

those are both the reasons why I can't figure out if they're going to bring her in. I mean certain things about her character seem sort of important but I don't think (well at least as of now) they have a great impact on the rest of the story.

[Valkyrja]

I can understand why Penny might be cut, especially if Dinklage is uncomfortable with it. Nevertheless, I am possibly of the few who actually liked Penny's presence in the book. I agree that she is not long for the world, but she still had a purpose. Part of me wishes she would be brought into the show. I agree she is a mirror to Tyrion in some ways, but she also shows how someone who is born a dwarf but doesn't happen to be *male* and *highborn* might end up.

Tyrion's had a rough life, but he's also been incredibly lucky in many ways. Certain things may have been better for him if he weren't a Lannister, of course, but other things would have been just as difficult, if not worse.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Surely of all the characters that could be cut from GoT, penny has to rank at or near the top. To me, her inclusion in the story at all is easily the worst idea GRRM has ever had in regards to the book series (for a myriad of reasons I won't get into here). Her inclusion in the TV series would be even worse, and would undoubtedly (and correctly) be labeled a shark-jumping moment.

[Night Gathers]

I've not really heard about any dwarf actresses. I came up with http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0140559/ (Debbie Lee Carrington) But she's definitely too old and from the States.

Spoiler

I personally want Penny in, I liked that Tyrion interacted with other dwarfs and since she's not yet killed off, I'm assuming she'll be part of Tyrion's future storyline.

[Ser Wun Wun]

I hope she is cut. I don't want to see Dinklage riding around on some sow (or more likely little pony) on the show, falling on his ass to appease sailors. I doubt he would want to do something like that either.

I would prefer if the show just focused on the Tyrion/Jorah dynamic, which is much more interesting imo.

[sennahoj]

Though I agree that Penny might very likely be cut, I'd still like to suggest an actress who could play her: German actress ChrisTine Urspruch, she is 132 cm (4'3), and she's Dinklage's age, so she'd be suitable for the role. http://www.charactors.de/schauspielerinnen_detail_01.php?id_intern=1113414339&bild_start=true

[MoonCoffee]

I can understand why Penny might be cut, especially if Dinklage is uncomfortable with it. Nevertheless, I am possibly of the few who actually liked Penny's presence in the book. I agree that she is not long for the world, but she still had a purpose. Part of me wishes she would be brought into the show. I agree she is a mirror to Tyrion in some ways, but she also shows how someone who is born a dwarf but doesn't happen to be *male* and *highborn* might end up.

Tyrion's had a rough life, but he's also been incredibly lucky in many ways. Certain things may have been better for him if he weren't a Lannister, of course, but other things would have been just as difficult, if not worse.

I agree with this. Tyrion's Essos storyline is about how he copes after falling from grace, and one of Tyrion's flaws is his tendency to be self-centered. Penny serves as a mirror to challenge that.

Dwarf humiliation for entertainment is something Dinklage dislikes, but in ASoIaF the POV presented is exactly the one he espouses. When we follow Tyrion, we empathize with his distaste about the practice, but his eyes are also opened that that is something *real* and happening to dwarfs that are born with a lot less choice for survival than a Lannister Lord's son, like Penny and her brother. We as readers are invited to look at it with critical eyes, so I think this is not too far from the spirit of Dinklage's next project playing as dwarf actor Hervé Villechaize. And from a RL POV, cutting Penny means one less non-typical job for a dwarf actress, a demographic that's already severely disadvantaged in showbiz.

Then again, the TV show seems to shy away from portraying Tyrion's less sympathetic traits, so who knows.

When it comes to casting though, the only dwarf actress I know is Meredith Eaton from Boston Legal, who seems a bit too pretty for the role. (Not that GoT never cast anyone prettier than their book description).

[Silverx2]

I liked penny in the stories, so i hope shes not cut.

[Frumpus]

I think she'll be cut. By the time they get to cover ADwD on tv, the storylines will have been changed significantly to suit a couple factors (actors aging and compressed timelines).

[lobomite]

Bridget Powers!

[Fred Stark]

This Australian actress seems a nice fit for Penny Kiruna Stamell

http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dwarf%20actresses&source=web&cd=5&sqi=2&ved=0CFsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Fname%2Fnm0973827%2F&ei=3s7JT-OoH43yrQfb85ScDg&usg=AFQjCNF7JRjfgUxyGSN0gXfFZLH-AAzSbQ

[CrypticWeirwood]

The Ghost of High Heart is also a dwarf woman — or so she appears.

[Night Gathers]

This Australian actress seems a nice fit for Penny Kiruna Stamell

http://www.google.co...0gXfFZLH-AAzSbQ

I'd say she fits the role. She's even younger than Dinklage, which is a bonus.

[Nagisa Furukawa]

I like Penny and her role in the story. Tyrion's ADwD chapters bored me up until her appearance when they suddenly found a spark again. She's a great foil for Tyrion, unlike him in almost every way and yet forced to be in his company because of superficial similarities that eveyrone else focuses on. Some of ASoIaF's best character relationships are between people utterly unlike each other and yet due to circumstances, forced to find they do indeed have common ground, IE Dany and Drogo, Sansa and Sandor, etc. Neither Tyrion nor Penny can even comprehend why the other views the world as they do, which makes great drama, I feel.

Dwarf humiliation for entertainment is something Dinklage dislikes, but in ASoIaF the POV presented is exactly the one he espouses. When we follow Tyrion, we empathize with his distaste about the practice, but his eyes are also opened that that is something *real* and happening to dwarfs that are born with a lot less choice for survival than a Lannister Lord's son, like Penny and her brother. We as readers are invited to look at it with critical eyes, so I think this is not too far from the spirit of Dinklage's next project playing as dwarf actor Hervé Villechaize.

Agreed. I mean, if Dinklage is indeed uncomfortable with the storyline, fair enough. But, at the very least, I think he'd be able to tell that it's clearly not the same thing as the typical "dwarf humiliation" you get in fiction, but a critique and evaluation of it from the perspective of a dwarf who due not only to his father being the richest man in the kingdoms, but a man who abhors being laughed at, never had to really deal with it.

And from a RL POV, cutting Penny means one less non-typical job for a dwarf actress, a demographic that's already severely disadvantaged in showbiz.

Definitely agreed.

[dreamcatcher]

It wouldn't really be professional of Dinklage to be against filming those scenes. I mean, they're meant to be critical towards this kind of practice.

[Swordswench]

The stuff with Penny and Tyrion would go very, very far to addressing and examining what dwarf exploitation is and how it affects people. I can't see why it would be cut, or why Dinklage would object to it. What I can see happening is it not being shown on screen in great detail, like some of the battles. Then, we the audience get the character reactions, and no actors have to learn how to ride a dog or small pony.

[Jaimeisnotazombie]

I like Penny better then Tyrion, i hope they dont cut her.