Note: The following article contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Episode 5.
When the opportunity came to audition “House of the Dragon” for actor Fabian Frankel, he had no idea that the character he was cast for — Ser Kristen Cole — would become so important to the drama in King’s Landing.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” Frankel said during a Zoom from the UK after being asked by TheWrap if he knew he was up for “House of the Dragon” prequel to “Game of Thrones” , when the opportunity came. “I just knew that the character I was auditioning for was called Ser Clint. And so I was like, ‘Oh, here we go.’ And the scene – I really have yet to ask Ryan [Condal] or miguelo [Sapochnik, both Season 1 co-showrunners and executive producers] Where did that scene come from, whether it was written by him just to audition, or something else. But yeah, I ain’t got no sign of it [it] This audition has existed before in any world.”
When Frankel landed the part of Ser Kristen, a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (“Stranger Things” Joseph Quinn was a high classmate), he found a similar mystery. He was playing a character that – at least within the confines of the television franchise – was as yet unknown.
The son of Lord Dondarrion’s steward, Ser Kristen Cole, as viewers learned in the first episode, had no ties to the prominent families of the mothership. And it introduced a kind of freedom in Frankel’s approach to the character.
“There’s really no one like him in any of the original shows or books — you know, this kind of emergent figure that appears out of nowhere and is suddenly right at the heart of this whole thing,” the actor said. “I was so excited to have the opportunity to bring this to life.”
In Sunday’s installment, he did much more than bring her to life — the actor, whose first professional role in the Emilia Clarke-starring “Last Christmas” (“She was lovely,” he said), quietly as a breakout episode. And the charming knight went through a whirlwind of emotions after the woman to whom he had given his heart, and whom he had asked to run away with – Princess Renera (Millie Alcock) – refused because as his father’s heir. , she could not consider that option . She also suggested that they could move on with their relationship in secret, something that Kristen thought was the equivalent of a “prostitute”.
“Kristen Cole, up to that point, has made up a fairly short number of scenes and the idea is to do a somewhat longer form to star opposite Millie. [who plays Rhaenyra] It was very exciting for me,” he said. “And, you know, it’s one of those things, this guy tells the girl to run away with him. It’s like a pretty iconic classic scene in the history of cinema. A lot of those movies and TV shows. I’ve been in forever. So I was like, ‘Okay, I’m excited to do one of those.'”
The let down, which took place on the boat back from the Driftmark, where Rainera was married to Lord Corliss Valerian’s son Lenore, was a game-changer for the actor’s character. A few scenes later, in King’s Landing, Ser Kristen Cole bleeds at a wedding (certainly an entry for one of the “GoT” spinoff’s most shocking moments) as the Dornish Knight beats Joffrey (Soli) a lot. He was killed in the Mountain / Prince Oberyn. -style gruesome way when the man had a quiet conversation with her about keeping his relationship with their respective lovers – Rainera and Lenore – secret.
The preparation for that scene was abandoned for the moment when Ser Kristen – throughout the banquet – has few, if any, words.
“I don’t think there’s anything pre-planned about him killing off that character,” Frankel said. “It’s a completely reactionary thing that happens very impulsively, and so there was little I could do, if anything, to prepare that scene.”
For most of the wedding scenes, Ser Kristen was silent, but on edge as soon as he saw Rainya dancing, drinking and eating to celebrate their wedding.
“It was just living there and imagining what kind of circumstance it would be to marry the woman you love after only a few days of falling in love with her and asking her to run away with you. , and then standing there in front of all these people, essentially performing as a representative of his power, and watching this whole thing unfold,” he added of filming those moments.
After being murdered, betraying his Kingsguard celibacy vows, and losing the woman he loved, Ser Kristen was left in a desperate place by the end of the episode. But, just as the character is about to sink his dagger into his chest, Queen Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) returns to where he was with Godwood and creates the blockage he needed to stop. And for Ser Kristen, that moment meant “everything,” Frankel said.
“It means life instead of death. That’s what it means. She comes 10 seconds later, she’s dead. It’s like someone is picking you up from the lowest point of your life and giving you hope that Renera with a life beyond what you knew,” he said. “And obviously, Alicent is very indicative of the kind of person who is of all people. She feels it necessary to try and protect her to some extent.”
And it’s a real turning point for the character in the days to come – quite literally.
“I’ll say this: Think carefully about what it would mean to be in those shoes—that is, the moment Alicent stopped him from killing himself. That’s all I can really say.”
Frankel learned from the day he was cast that sometimes, it’s best to say nothing.
“I’m still going to be handcuffed for eternity, but you know, pretty good handcuffs,” he laughed.
“House of the Dragon” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
