Which Major Script Change Made Peter Dinklage Play Cyrano?(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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Peter Dinklage wasn’t exactly sold on Cyrano at first. The idea of playing a guy with a fake nose didn’t sit right with him. It felt a little too theatrical, a little too familiar. He told Variety’s Stagecraft podcast: “It didn’t really speak to me. It was very theatrical, and it was all about a guy and a nose. And inevitably the nose was a fake nose, and [the role] was played by a handsome actor… I always thought, ‘What’s the big deal? It’s just a handsome actor in a fake nose. He gets to take it off after each show.’”
So yeah, Cyrano nearly lost its Cyrano. The film, directed by Joe Wright of Atonement fame, was a reimagining of the 1897 French classic Cyrano de Bergerac. It had undergone many makeovers before: Steve Martin did it with Roxanne, and Netflix tried a teen spin in Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. But this version came with a twist that changed everything for the Game of Thrones star.
His wife, writer Erica Schmidt, adapted the story into a stage musical and later into this film. She didn’t just tweak the story. She rewired it. Gone was the over-the-top prosthetic. Instead, Peter Dinklage’s own height stepped in to replace the iconic nose. That bold change finally made the character real for him.
The insecurity? Still there. But now, it hit closer to home. Dinklage brought something deeper, his own lived experience. That switch gave Cyrano the vulnerability it always needed. No gimmicks. Just raw emotion. In his words, it became about a man who “doesn’t know what to do in the face of love.”
And audiences felt it. Peter Dinklage turned what could’ve been a pass into one of his most celebrated performances. This wasn’t just another role. It was a chance to lead, a rare one for Dinklage on the big screen. Fans had seen him shine in The Station Agent and steal scenes in Elf, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Avengers: Infinity War. But Cyrano let him carry the entire film, and he ran with it.
Critics noticed too. Awards buzz followed, along with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Cyrano even landed a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nod. Talk of an Oscar nom didn’t sound far-fetched at all. Looking back, skipping that fake nose might’ve been Peter Dinklage‘s best decision. Because Cyrano, reworked and redefined, finally spoke to him, and in return, he made sure it left a mark.
