House of the Dragon Star Hated by Stranger? Shocking Encounter Revealed!

In the universe created by George R.R. Martin, he is known as the “Kingmaker”. A knight who appears honorable but has dubious motivations and actions, Ser Criston Cole is one of the most controversial characters among fans of House of the Dragon.

Whether loved or hated, he is not ignored, starting with Rhaenyra Targaryen, his first love, whom he betrays to side with (and share a bed with) Alicent Hightower.

House of the Dragon: Was it really worth waiting two years?

During his visit to Paris to promote season 2 of the show, currently available on the Max platform, actor Fabien Frankel answered our questions, with simplicity and honesty, and in French, no less!

AlloCiné : As part of the promotion of “House of the Dragon”, journalists were specifically asked to conduct interviews without spoilers. How then do you talk about a show and a new season without spoilers?

Fabien Frankel : Normally, I’m not alone. They pair me with someone and I wait for the others to respond… I never answer first, because I have a problem with spoilers. I always spoil… I wait for the person to respond, then I echo what they say! (laughs)

The idea is not to become the Tom Holland of Westeros!

Does he spoil a lot? Mark Ruffalo too, he does a lot. I’m working with him right now, he told me he has a problem with that! He doesn’t know how to stop spoiling all the Marvel stuff. Even one day, he told me something huge about the Marvel franchise. I told him: “I don’t think you’re allowed to tell me that, buddy!”

Without spoiling, what can we say about your character and his evolution in this season 2 of “House of the Dragon”?

In season 1, Criston Cole was part of Rhaenyra’s narrative, then Alicent’s narrative. Now, I have the chance to have my own narrative, which he decides according to his own motivations. It changes a bit because he is more central. He is more at the heart of the story.

He is a character who has a particular evolution. At first, we think he’s almost the charming prince. Then he becomes really quite dark, to the point, I believe, in season 1, of having been one of the most hated characters by fans. That means you’re doing your job well!

Yes, I hope so! But it was like that from the reading. When you play a role, you try to get into it mentally, to try to understand why people do what they do. I didn’t know he was going to be so controversial. At first, I was surprised. I remember I was in a movie theater and someone came up to me to tell me they hated me! But that’s the nature of this series, it’s like that. The characters are loved, then hated, then loved, then hated. I’m sure it will continue like that.

Speaking of reactions, do you follow what is said on social networks after each episode is broadcast?

No, I stay away from that. Every time you look, you immediately regret because someone always finds something you did, something you said… And you say “F***!” So no, I don’t look. And I won’t look this season, I think.

An interesting element of your character, beyond his evolution, is his “body language”. And all that the armor brings. How did you work on that?

It was very interesting for me, because naturally, I’m someone who moves a lot. I’m very active, I like to always have something to do. While Criston Cole is completely still. And it took me a while to get comfortable with the character’s immobility. But once I got used to it, it helped me because it gives me a structure for the character. It’s as if someone gave you a boxing ring and you are only allowed to play within that ring. Outside the ring, it’s not the character. And I found that very interesting in terms of development.

The marketing for this season pits #TeamGreen against #TeamBlack. You’ve been on both teams, and are now on #TeamGreen. Do you ever think that the other side might be right? Or that what your character is doing may not be acceptable?

You don’t have a choice. You’re in the employ of the production, the writer, and the story. I remember this story with Tarantino: an actor comes up to him and says “My character wouldn’t say that”; and Tarantino replies “Yes he does, because that’s what I wrote”. You don’t really have a choice about what your character does or says. But you have a choice about how he does it and says it. That’s what I find interesting as an actor.

What is also interesting for an actor is to play in multiple languages. You are bilingual (the interview was conducted in French NDLR), so would you be interested in acting in French? Have you had any offers?

Not at the moment. I filmed the series The Serpent with many French actors, including Tahar Rahim who has become a very good friend. We talked a lot about working in France and he gave me a lot of advice. But my career has mostly been in America and Europe outside of France, so far. And I would love to work in France. I grew up with French cinema, films by Louis de Funès or Belmondo. I have an affinity with French cinema, in relation to my mother and grandmother. I know that for my poor grandmother who doesn’t speak a word of English, being able to see me in a series she understands would make her very happy.

Have you proposed to dub your character from “House of the Dragon” in French?

I was talking about it just yesterday with Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon). I’m going to ask my agents. I’d like to do it just to see what it’s like. But it can also be long! Let a French actor who speaks better French than me do it, because they will do it better than me.

Interview conducted in Paris on Friday, June 7, 2024

Episodes of season 2 of House of the Dragon can be found exclusively on the new streaming platform Max every Monday