Fabien Frankel, who plays the nefarious Ser Criston Cole in the hugely successful Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, has been speaking to the New York Times. He discusses the rise of fame for both his character and for himself, in recent weeks.
Frankel says that he’s getting “slightly more calls from my agents” but he adds that “my day-to-day life is not very different at all. London’s a good city at keeping you grounded, because people tend to be quite private and not invasive. I can count on two hands the amount of times people on the street have taken notice.”
Now that Criston Cole has been very publicly seen crowning King Aegon, and has become the Kingmaker, he too will have to cope with fame in a land where he is “surrounded by an incredibly ambitious group of very Machiavellian human beings whose sole ambition is power.” But Frankel says that Cole “sees it as his duty, by proxy of being Alicent’s sworn protector, to protect these boys. He’s been very close to a father figure to them. Criston Cole taught these kids to fight, taught these kids respect.”
Now that the characters have been divided between Rhaenyra‘s Emma D’Arcy) posse, known as the blacks, and Alicent‘s (Olivia Cooke) green crew, everyone – including the audience and fans – is picking a side. Frankel says; “I’m very Team Green, and proud of it. That’s kind of how I’m programmed to think now. I’m glad to hear there’s some love for the Greens out there. I think we are a force to be reckoned with. It’s a good solid crew. I’d back us in a street fight.”
Whether you’re Team Black or Team Green, you will certainly be keen to tune into the season one finale of House of the Dragon on Sunday. Tune back into The Digital Fix afterwards, where we will have more explainers than you shake a stick at.
In the meantime, here is our Targaryen family tree, to help you do your research.