With filmmaker Joe Wright’s new film Cyrano approaching its late December release, Peter Dinklage (who stars as the titular character) went on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to talk a little bit about the movie and his experience as a singer. Cyrano tells the story of a witty poet who finds himself in a classic love triangle tale, but is afraid of showing his real persona to the woman he loves.
During his visit, the Game of Thrones alum joked about the fact that the old times’ habit of writing poetry under pseudonyms was essentially ‘catfishing’ and revealed that from all the movie versions of this story, the one that stands out to him is 1990’s Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Gerard Depardieu. In the French film, Cyrano is embarrassed by his appearance because he has a big nose (really). Dinklage also mentioned Steve Martin’s performance in Roxanne, a 1987 movie that is more of a modern take on the classic story (but still with the big nose).
During the interview, the actor also talked about his vocal performance and mentioned he’d never done any professional singing before Cyrano, but that ended up not being a problem:
“It’s terribly nerve-wrecking, but you’re surrounded by really great musicians and really great singers and they make you feel better. And I like a mix of voices, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The greatest singers aren’t necessarily opera singers, they just have soul. […] You sing from the heart… Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, and all those people, you wouldn’t qualify them as operatic singers, but they’re soulful singers.”
Dinklage ended his visit on the Late Night Show with a performance of “Your Name,” a song from the movie that he sings himself. He was joined by composers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, as well as a string quartet.
Cyrano premieres in selected theaters on December 31.
You can watch Dinklage’s performance below:
Check out the official synopsis for Cyrano here:
Award-winning director Joe Wright envelops moviegoers in a symphony of emotions with music, romance, and beauty in Cyrano, re-imagining the timeless tale of a heartbreaking love triangle. A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (played by Peter Dinklage) dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her — and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.).