We're a few months out from House of the Dragon season 3, but the hype is already building. We've already gotten a first trailer for the season, and it promises some epic moments as HBO's first Game of Thrones spinoff forges ahead into some of the most turbulent turns of the Dance of the Dragons civil war. Actors are beginning to tease what's ahead, including Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole), who appeared at Budapest Comic Con to talk all things Westeros.
Frankel hinted that viewers may start to feel differently about their favorite (or most hated) characters in the final two seasons of House of the Dragon, and based on the source material in George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, I fully believe him. But the man behind the spinoff's most controversial character also spoke at length about his run on the show, including recalling a few moments where he ran into stars from the original, groundbreaking Game of Thrones series.
The moderator of Frankel's interview brought up that the actor had recently had a "wholesome" run-in with Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the body-builder who took on the role of Ser Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. The Mountain, in Game of Thrones. The two crossed paths at that very convention, and photos of the pair made their way onto Instagram. This was the first time the two had ever met.
"It's quite sad actually, because I also play a knight in the Game of Thrones universe, but when you stand next to him...[Laughs], you're like, 'Alright, well, I'm f***ed,'" Frankel joked. "I'm so glad I'm not in the same show. He's like an airplane, and I'm like a tiny little helicopter."
Frankel talked about the armor he wears in House of the Dragon and how it makes him look slightly larger than he is. But he's still a "normal height" at 5'10'', which makes him almost a full foot shorter than Björnsson.
"He is a true like, you know, exemplary human being. Yeah, blown away," Frankel said.
The Kingslayer and Ser Criston Cole walk into a bar
Frankel was also asked about encountering other actors who play Kingsguard knights throughout the Game of Thrones franchise, and what it means to him in general to be a knight. Frankel said he certainly feels a sense of "camaraderie" when he sees other actors who have appeared throughout Thrones and its various spinoffs. This led into a fun story where Frankel bumped into none other than Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at a bar.
"I met the actor who plays Jaime Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, like six months before filming House of the Dragon...before the show had come out, and I was like 'Man, I'm kind of like you, [but] not really,' and I think he thought I was like completely making it up. We were in a bar and he was like, "All right dude, relax.'" Frankel said. "You feel a sense of camaraderie...I'm very proud to be a member of the Kingsguard."
It's fun to imagine a younger Frankel trying to convince Coster-Waldau that he's going to be in a the next Game of Thrones series as the edgy knight people love to hate, only for Coster-Waldau to think he's full of it. But time has shown Frankel to be totally on point. Criston Cole may not be nearly as beloved as Jaime Lannister, but in terms of archetypes, he's probably the closest thing House of the Dragon has to the Kingslayer.
Whether audiences will come around on Criston Cole remains to be seen, but personally, I'm kind of anticipating some slight change in the reaction to him during season 3. We have good reason to think this may be Frankel's last season on the show, and considering how deep an arc he got in season 2, I imagine he'll have some really good material as Cole hunts for Daemon Targaryen and his dragon Caraxes in the Riverlands.
House of the Dragon season 3 is due out in June, 2026. We'll have our ear to the ground for more.