Fabien Frankel on Creating the only Dornish Knight in House of the Dragon
We welcomed actor Fabien Frankel to talk about his role as Criston Cole in HBO’s Game of Thrones sequel: House of the Dragon. Fabien talks about how much he enjoyed filling in his character’s backstory before the events of the show and what his battle experiences must have been like in the Dornish Marches. Being the only Dornish character was crucial to Fabien in crafting his character, noting that there’s a sense of isolation and discrimination that he faces. Fabien also shared how he wanted to be physically different from the other characters and figuring out his fighting style with the stunt coordinator. In contrast with the prince Daemon, he wanted his fighting to be laborious rather than elegant. Fabien notes that there’s an element of being a bully in his character but, in having to play the role of the Kingsguard, he also had to find a stillness within himself. He talked about creating a dagger with the weaponry team to carry on his armor at all times, and figuring out its specific placement as a part of his character. To Fabien, it was also important to find comic moments in the complicated dynamics to create the sense of humor that’s always been a part of Game of Thrones .
It was important for Fabien to highlight the chemistry he developed with Milly Alcock who plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and all the time they spent together off set. He talks about their characters’ special reliance on each other and how they wanted to avoid a gratuitous sex scene but rather create something real and normal. He credits the intimacy coordinator in helping them create something different for television that both he and Milly are proud of.
Watch the full conversation below.
Q&A on the HBO series House of The Dragon with the actor Fabien Frankel.
The reign of House Targaryen begins: House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, is here. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, which is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen.
