Filming has officially begun for the Shakespearean adaptation of King Lear, and it includes some of Hollywood’s biggest names, but you may not recognise one of them at first glance.
The production, which is written and directed by Bernard Rose, is filming in Los Angeles this week with new pictures showing one of the lead actors in full costume complete with white face paint, a red and black smokey eye and red lip.
Most well-known for his role on Game of Thrones, the unrecognisable star is none other than, Peter Dinklage.
Peter, 55, who often sports a full beard, was seen bare-faced with his hair shaved at the sides to create a mohawk and wearing a red, period-accurate robe featuring gold embellishments.
No stranger to historic productions, the Golden Globe winner will star in the film as The Fool and one of the King’s most trusted advocates.
It’s a very different look to ones fans came to know and love when he rose to fame playing Tyrion Lannister in the hit HBO series, which aired between 2011 and 2019.
Peter received multiple award wins and nominations while playing the cynical but lovable outcast, including four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In the years since the show wrapped, Peter has had roles in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Cyrano and will star in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Wicked as Dr Dillamond.
But before fans see him in the Jon M Chu-directed movie, filming continues for King Lear, with Peter being joined on set by Hollywood great Al Pacino, 84, who will play the King.
The Godfather star was spotted with his hair and beard unkempt as he wore a gold and black robe paired with a walking stick, impressive rings on almost every finger, and metallic-painted nails.
Meanwhile, Stephen Dorff, 51, who will star as Poor Tim in the film, was completely and utterly in character with a tatty one-shouldered garment, brown sandals and dirt covering his body.
In an image from the film set, the True Detective star could be seen with tattoos on his chest and arms, as well as multiple wounds around his leg and chest area.
It’s unclear how long the actors will be filming for or when the movie, which also features Jessica Chastain, will be released.
The storyline follows ageing King Lear as he divides his land between his three daughters, however, things soon turn sour as a bad lapse in judgement sees him rejecting his youngest daughter.
Instead of deciding to trust only his two oldest daughters, he soon learns he has made a mistake as they strip him of his power and leave him stranded and uncared for.
It comes after director Bernard told Deadline: ‘Al and I are going to make a bold, cinematic Lear that will be as accessible moving and powerful as the play was for its original audiences. I am thrilled to have Jessica Chastain join us on this journey.’
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‘The devotion myself and everyone I know have for The Godfather, Heat and many of his other films, Pacino puts into Shakespeare. He believes those masterworks should be “tried more often” in film in order to “take the humanity that Shakespeare writes into characters and express it”.’
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