'Shouldn't Have Done That': Fabien Frankel Had to Act In Front of His Drama Teacher in HotD
It's like an exam, only ten times worse.
House of the Dragon was undoubtedly a success for the Game of Thrones universe and everyone involved.
While it's pretty challenging to pick favorites in the Dance of the Dragons, pretty much every HotD fan agrees on two things. Firstly, Fabien Frankel's character, Ser Criston Cole, is an exceptionally unpleasant young man, even for Team Green stans. Secondly, Fabien Frankel himself is a cinnamon bun we should all be grateful for.
It turns out that one particular scene involving Criston Cole and Team Green's Aemond Targaryen was especially challenging for Frankel to film. Not because of dramatic tension or complicated stunts, no. It's just that he had to film it with his teacher from drama school!
Remember when Criston and Aemond went out looking for Aegon, and predictably visited local brothels, because, well, it was Aegon they were searching for? Yeah, one of the brothel's madams was played by Frankel's drama teacher.
"I was so nervous! I was acting in front of her on screen. And the whole time I was thinking 'Oh, I just shouldn't have done that!'" Frankel recalls in the behind-the-scenes documentary for House of the Dragon.
Frankel did a one-year Foundation Course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before studying Professional Acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He graduated in 2007.
Aside from House of the Dragon, Frankel is known for parts in Venice at Dawn, Serpent, and An Uncandid Portrait. Also, in 2019 he played Theo Sipowicz in NYPD Blue's pilot episode, a reboot of the eponymous TV series that was very popular in the 1990s.
Frankel's Criston Cole is set to return in season 2 of House of the Dragon, which is currently in production and may hit screens at some point in 2024. We're pretty sure the HotD gig will pave way for Frankel to get even more recognition on both big and small screens!