House of the Dragon is yet to come and in Geek Culture we spoke with Fabien Frankel, the actor who plays Criston Cole, and we tell you what he said in this note!
Like game of Thronesits prequel House of the Dragon you’ll also have plenty of characters and names to remember. While there will not be as many families and kingdoms as in GoTsince the series precisely focuses on the house Targaryens, we are going to have to pay attention to the surnames of each character and their relationships. In geeky culture we talk with Fabien Frankelactor that we will see in the series as Ser Criston Coleand we tell you what he said.
Who is this character? One of the many that will take great importance in House of the Dragonbut not part of the family Targaryens (although it is close to several of them). who read the novel Fire&Blood of George R.R. Martin (the book on which the series will be based) know that he is a key figure and that he becomes a powerful ally.
As we said before, the one in charge of giving life to Ser Criston Cole it is Fabien Frankelan Anglo-French film and television actor known for his roles in films and series such as the Christmas romantic comedy Last Christmas or the British TV series The Serpent. However, his role in House of the Dragon It will probably open many other doors for you.
Like many others, Frankel considers himself a fan of GoT, however I was not so into the story that this first spin-off would deal with. “I was a big fan of game of Thrones beforehand. I had seen the whole series and thought it was absolutely amazing, I loved it. But I was not aware of the scripts of House of the Dragon until they offered me a role. Ayeah i really didn’t know anything else but what Miguel [Sapochnik] and Ryan [Condal] (the showrunners) they told me on Zoom about where the future of this was going Ser Criston Cole. Then I got to read the scripts and they were amazing.”the actor explained to us.
As for the filming and all the huge sets they used to record the series, Frankel He assured that being there felt like being in a city: “I felt like I was in Glastonbury. It was surreal, you can’t believe the scale of this thing. It’s a huge cast and crew…completely unlike anything I’ve seen before, but the best people I’ve ever worked with.”.
Now, let’s talk about who this character is. It should be noted that if you do not want to find out some information about his history because you prefer to see them in the series, be careful with what follows. First of all, Ser Criston Cole he is the son of a butler in Blackhaven. Frankel told us during the interview, that at the moment we meet him in the series, he is “a gentleman with limited prospects due to his humble upbringing, but is a remarkably skilled fighter”.
As we mentioned at the beginning, Cole is a very important character in the story, since he gets along with several Targaryens. One of them is none other than the king Viserys I and another is the young princess Rhaenyrawho convinces his father to choose Criston as a member of his personal guard.
As time goes by Cole eventually becomes lord-commander of the Royal Guard in the reign of Viserys I. However, as the story progresses and the House Targaryens begins to divide, this character is forced to choose a side. But, to the surprise of many, instead of siding with Rhaenyrawith whom he got along, chooses Aegon Targaryens. The reasons for this change will surely be seen in the series.
Basically, Ser Criston Cole it is one of the many triggers that cause conflicts within the house Targaryens. These destabilized the kingdom and put an end to the years of peace that had been lived in Westeros up to that point.
At the interview, Fabien Frankel described his character and said, “I would say that morally he means well, but circumstances inevitably change where he sits on the moral scale. I certainly don’t think I have high ambitions to begin with. It all happens quite accidentally and then slowly, with exposure to that kind of power and those kinds of games that are played throughout the show, he starts to develop more ambition. He wakes up, basically”.
To become this gentleman from the Dorne area, the actor said he read up on Dornish history and discovered that Westerosi viewed the Dornish as the English used to view the Irish. “The people of Westeros really speak ill of the Dornishmen. I come from there, I look Dornish but I wasn’t born there so I don’t speak with that accent. I felt that Ser Criston Cole he is certainly looked down upon by characters like Demon and people from the wealthy families of Westeros.”explained Frankel.
In addition to Frankelthe cast of House of the Dragon is composed of Paddy Considine (King Viserys I), Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen). We also find Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke (Lady Alicent Hightower), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Velaryon), among others.
Let’s remember that George R.R. Martin helped create the series and serves as executive producer, alongside the showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik. House of the Dragon hits the small screen HBO and HBOMax this August 21.