When Peter Dinklage was first offered the role of Cyrano in the 2021 film Cyrano, he wasn’t excited about it. The idea of playing a man with a fake nose didn’t feel right to him. In an interview on Variety’s Stagecraft podcast, he explained why. “It didn’t really speak to me,” he said. “It was very theatrical, and it was all about a guy and a nose. And inevitably the nose was a fake nose… 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.’”
At first, the story didn’t connect with him. He felt like the fake nose was just a gimmick, and the role often went to good-looking actors pretending to be unattractive. That didn’t feel real to him.
Cyrano is based on the classic 1897 French play Cyrano de Bergerac. Over the years, many versions of the story have been told. Steve Martin did a comedy version in Roxanne, and Netflix gave it a modern teen twist with Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. But this version was something different — and personal.
The movie was directed by Joe Wright, known for Atonement and Pride & Prejudice. But the real twist came from Dinklage’s wife, writer Erica Schmidt. She first turned Cyrano into a stage musical and later adapted it into the film. Schmidt didn’t just rewrite the script — she changed the heart of the story.
Instead of using a fake nose to show Cyrano’s insecurity, they made Dinklage’s height a central part of the character’s struggle. This change made the role feel real and meaningful to him. Now, it wasn’t about hiding behind makeup or costumes. It was about using something personal — something he had lived with all his life.
The feelings of doubt, unrequited love, and not feeling “good enough” were still part of Cyrano’s story. But now, those emotions felt true. Dinklage said the story became about a man who “doesn’t know what to do in the face of love.” That emotional honesty helped him deliver one of the strongest performances of his career.
Fans and critics noticed. Dinklage, already well-known for roles in Game of Thrones, The Station Agent, and Elf, now had the chance to lead a major film. Cyrano gave him the spotlight, and he delivered. His performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and the film received a nod for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
There was even talk of an Oscar nomination. Whether or not that happened, one thing is clear: turning down the fake nose and making Cyrano personal was the right move.
By replacing a fake nose with real emotion, Peter Dinklage gave Cyrano a new voice — one that connected deeply with audiences and critics alike.
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