Fabien Frankel of House of the Dragon talks about how his character, Ser Criston Cole, received hate from fans before the show even premiered. The Game of Thrones spinoff is about to conclude season 1, with its penultimate episode set to air on October 16. The series has been renewed for season 2 by HBO after premiering to consistently high ratings and positive reviews.
House of the Dragon, based on the book Fire & Blood, tells the story of House Targaryen and how Rhaenyra Targaryen deals with being named heir to the Iron Throne. At one point, she takes on Frankel's Ser Criston Cole, her Kingsguard, as a lover, something that Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, lover of Rhaenyra's betrothed Laenor, surmises. After learning that he knows of the relationship, Cole brutally murders Joffrey at Rhaenyra's wedding celebration, creating a divide between him and the princess. The murder at the wedding is one of House of the Dragon's most controversial scenes, with some claiming it uses the "bury your gays" trope, in which homosexual characters are killed off in high numbers.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show, Frankel talks about how some fans hated his character before the series premiered, due to their familiarity with the book. He recalls being at San Diego Comic-Con and overhearing someone tell their friend they hated him, which ended up good preparation for the fan response to Cole's heel-turn at the season's midpoint. Read Frankel's quote below:
I sort of had an inkling that some people didn't like me. We went to Comic-Con, and I remember all the actors were lined up and I heard a guy go like, 'That guy plays Criston Cole, I hate that dude.' And I was really confused, I was like, 'Wow, already? It hasn't even come out yet.'
Without The Book, House Of The Dragon Has Been An Emotional Rollercoaster
Similar to its predecessor, House of the Dragon has received sharp reactions from fans not familiar with the source material. The condensed timeline has allowed a lot of shifting character beats in each House of the Dragon episode, with Cole going from loved to hated in a very short time. However, those who've read the book and know the twists are miles ahead of more casual fans, as Frankel found out directly.
Though it's hard to say where the series might go, especially if it divulges from its source material like Game of Thrones did in its later seasons, continuing to rapidly shifting character relationships and story moments in surprising ways could make it as big of a cultural influence as its predecessor. With a lot of stories left to tell, it's impossible to say how Cole will be received by fans by the end of his tenure and whether attitudes will shift around him again. In the end, Frankel is an integral part of House of the Dragon and he'll keep delivering a stellar performance that gives fans another element of the show to be excited about.
Source: The Tonight Show