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Fabien Frankel appears in House of the Dragon as Ser Criston Cole. He was seen for a brief period in the capacity of a competitor during the first episode of the show, titled The Heirs of the Dragon. It was released on August 21, 2022.
HBO described Ser Criston Cole as:
"Common-born, the son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven, Ser Criston is a fierce knight of Dornish descent. Noble in demeanor, his prowess in battle is unmatched even for that of Prince Daemon."
House of the Dragon is a spin-off and a prequel to the Game of Thrones series, based on the books by George R.R. Martin.
It traces the story of the Targaryen family, who played a significant role in the Game of Thrones series which documented Daenerys Targaryen's rise and fall. The ongoing show is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years prior to Daenerys' birth.
Fabien Frankel on his character Ser Criston Cole from House of the Dragon
Fabien Frankel is an English-French-Iraqi actor who was introduced as Ser Criston Cole in the HBO show.
While a lot is not known about his work as an actor, Frankel has appeared in shows like NYPD Blue, The Serpent, and An Uncandid Portrait. He was also seen in the 2019 romantic-comedy film Last Christmas.
House of the Dragons, which served as a manual to introduce characters and set the context, witnessed Criston Cole as the champion in a jousting tournament.
During an interaction with TV Line, Frankel confirmed that Criston Cole's character will appear in more than one episode.
Frankel spoke about the character and called him "ballsy" for seeking the favor of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen after defeating her uncle, Daemon Targaryen, in a jousting tournament.
He said:
I think that he is a pretty ballsy guy. And I think that there is definitely a feeling, being from a low-born family.
Frankel added:
In a world of blonde wigs, you have a dark-haired man who has a different-coloured skin, not like the other people. So, I think there's definitely a feeling of isolation. Therefore, that comes with like a boldness that sort of enables him to be in a position to ask (for the Princess' favor).
Frankel referred to Cole's background as a commoner. He hails from Dorne, a kingdom that drew sour relationships between the house of Martell and the Lannisters in the Game of Thrones series.
Dorne's reference also brings back memories of one of the most brutal face-offs in the series, between Oberyn Martell and Gregor Clegane aka the Mountain.
It remains to be seen how Frankel's Ser Criston Cole will be placed in the House of the Dragon.
New episodes of House of the Dragon will stream on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 28, ET/6 pm. The first episode is available in India on Disney+ Hotstar.
