The roar of the crowd faded as he adjusted his helmet, the weight of expectation pressing down. Daniel Ings knew the weight of fan anticipation rested on his portrayal of Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Could he capture the essence of a character known as “The Laughing Storm” and breathe life into a Westeros legend?
George R.R. Martin‘s The Hedge Knight, the source-material novella for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, doesn’t offer many details about Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Yet, there’s just enough to have earned the character a fan following, both from his actions supporting would-be hero Dunk at a significant point in the story and his evocative nickname.
In the TV show, Ser Lyonel leaps off the screen, fueled by actor Daniel Ings’ charismatic performance. At first, his antler-bedecked helmet and imposing presence might feel intimidating. After all, “Baratheon” is a name Game of Thrones fans recognize, thanks to King Robert’s family. But soon, we perceive a good heart beating beneath that bold, boisterous exterior.
At a recent press day for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, io9 spoke with Ings about what distinguishes Ser Lyonel from other highborn lords we’ve encountered in Westeros.
“I think he’s a crusading adventurer, really. I always thought of him as a bit of a pirate, and a lot of the characters in the world of Game of Thrones are essentially wrapped up in what it means to be part of their family and what the family name means to them,” Ings said. “I think for Lyonel, what it means is, going off on these adventures and fighting battles and testing oneself against a worthy foe. I sort of see him as fairly battle-hardened at this point in time, and I always kind of thought of him as being essentially addicted—he’s really only alive when he’s at war. So in a way, for Lyonel, it was about finding something that’s worth fighting for.”
The Lord of Storm’s End discovers that cause in Dunk, as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ later episodes will demonstrate. But in the season premiere, we get a quick study in Ser Lyonel’s indulgent lifestyle. The sequence where he first meets Dunk at his pavilion party—testing wits, then having a dance-off, then a drunken exchange of deep thoughts—is not in Martin’s original story, which contains just a few mentions of the Laughing Storm in action.
At the press roundtable, Ings answered a question about how he shaped his take on the character—and what it was like portraying a Westeros eccentric that so many readers already cherish, even if they don’t yet know too much about him.
“I was given a lot of freedom by Ira [Parker], our showrunner, and Owen [Harris], our director,” Ings said. “But honestly, Ira had done a huge amount to bring that character that people love from the books and to give life to him and flesh him out and give a sense of the fun and irreverence of that guy on the page.”
Ings continued. “Reading it initially, I was, ‘Well, I want to play a guy called the Laughing Storm.’ He was described in the brief as Captain Jack Sparrow meets Ernest Hemingway, which was such a fascinating collision. I was, like, ‘I don’t know how those two flavors fit together, but boy do I want to taste the outcome.’ So there was a lot of freedom, and Ira was super open to that kind of playfulness, and it needed that. He created an environment where I could be confident and be weird, and I just had to sort of trust those guys that they would pull me back in if it went too far.”
New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms arrive Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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The Weight of a Nickname: Reimagining the Laughing Storm
Think of a time you had to live up to a reputation. Maybe it was a nickname from school, or a job title that felt too big. Daniel Ings faced something similar, embodying a character defined by the moniker, “The Laughing Storm.”
Ings faced the challenge of portraying a character both beloved and largely undefined. He was handed a sketch, a legend whispered in the margins of Westeros history, and tasked with making him real. The key to Lyonel, it seems, was understanding his thirst for conflict.
“He’s really only alive when he’s at war,” Ings observed, suggesting Lyonel’s constant need for a cause. This internal battle, a craving for purpose masked by revelry, became the bedrock of his portrayal. It’s this very tension—the storm beneath the laughter—that makes the character so compelling.
How did Daniel Ings prepare for the role of Ser Lyonel Baratheon?
Imagine trying to combine the swagger of Captain Jack Sparrow with the stoicism of Ernest Hemingway. That was the brief Ings received, a seemingly impossible blend. Ings himself wondered “I don’t know how those two flavors fit together, but boy do I want to taste the outcome.”
This quirky direction became a guiding light. Ings credits showrunner Ira Parker and director Owen Harris with creating a space where he could explore the character’s eccentricities. Their openness allowed him to be “confident and be weird,” trusting that they would reel him back if his performance strayed too far. It’s a testament to a collaborative environment where creativity flourishes.
Crafting a Westeros Eccentric
Remember the feeling of putting on a costume as a child? The way it allowed you to explore a different version of yourself? For Ings, inhabiting Ser Lyonel was a similar process, a chance to explore a larger-than-life persona within the existing world of Westeros.
The actor highlights the freedom he was given to shape the character, emphasizing the importance of Parker’s work in bringing Lyonel to life. It’s a process of collaboration, where the written word meets the actor’s interpretation, resulting in something entirely new. Instead of a rigid adherence to established lore, Ings was encouraged to discover the heart of the Laughing Storm for himself.
What is ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ about?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms serves as a prequel, transporting viewers to a simpler, rawer Westeros. It centers around Dunk (later Ser Duncan the Tall) and his squire Egg (the future King Aegon V Targaryen) as they travel the land. The series provides a unique lens through which to view the world, revealing the everyday struggles and moral complexities that predate the political maneuvering of Game of Thrones. It’s Westeros stripped back to its core, a place where honor and loyalty are tested at every turn.
The Pirate, The Poet, The Lord
Recall a time when someone’s inner turmoil was masked by outward bravado. Ser Lyonel is that person, a man wrestling with his demons, finding solace only in the heat of battle.
Ings’ vision of Lyonel as a “crusading adventurer” helps us understand this complexity. He’s not just a lord; he’s a restless spirit, a pirate in noble’s clothing. He embodies a recklessness often absent in those bound by family legacy, suggesting a man forging his own destiny. His addiction to war isn’t mere bloodlust but a desperate search for meaning, a way to quiet the storm within.
How does ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ connect to ‘Game of Thrones’?
While set roughly a century before the events of Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms lays the groundwork for many of the houses and conflicts that define the original series. We see the Baratheons in their prime, witness the Targaryen dynasty still in power, and gain insight into the historical events that shaped Westeros. It enriches the viewing experience by providing context and depth to the world we already know, transforming familiar names into living, breathing characters with complex histories. Will this prequel offer a new lens on familiar “Game of Thrones” power struggles?