Dexter Sol Ansell, known best for his work in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” has become the youngest recipient in the history of IMDb’s STARmeter Award program.
The 11-year-old actor, who stars as the young Aegon V Targaryen, known as “Egg,” in the HBO fantasy series, received IMDb’s “Breakout” STARmeter Award while filming the show’s second season on Wednesday.
The award recognizes performers who are gaining significant traction on IMDb’s STARmeter rankings, which are based on the activity of the platform’s more than 250 million monthly visitors. Previous recipients have included Ayo Edebiri, Lewis Pullman, Simone Ashley, Peter Dinklage, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke.
Ansell’s popularity on the platform has steadily risen since his debut in the latest series set in George R.R. Martin’s Westeros universe. According to IMDb, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” became the first new series to enter the IMDb Top 250 TV Shows chart this year, joining a franchise that has consistently performed well on the platform. “Game of Thrones” has remained on the chart since 2011.
Speaking with IMDb after receiving the honor, Ansell reflected on joining the sprawling Westeros franchise.
“My favorite part about joining the whole world of Westeros had to have been — obviously there’s a massive timeline with lots of different characters,” he said. “Aegon the Fifth is mentioned in ‘Game of Thrones’ and was always seen as a photo, but bringing him to life and sticking him now in that timeline has been amazing.”
The actor also offered a brief tease of what’s ahead when “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” returns for its second season.
“So, in Season 2, I do get a bit more action and that is very fun … swords!” Ansell said. “But if you want to know more, there is a book and a graphic novel, so we have lots of options to get you more details.”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is based on Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas and follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg decades before the events of “Game of Thrones.”
