MOVIE NEWS – Fans attacking Fabien Frankel online for his role as Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon show how sad it is when some people can’t tell the difference between an actor and a character…
Fabien Frankel, who plays Ser Criston Cole in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, has been forced to limit commenting options on his social media posts. In fact, some “passionate” fans began to insult each other online. House of the Dragon Season 2 continues to explore the “Dance of Dragons” civil war, with Criston Cole becoming one of the most loyal followers of House Hightower (aka the Greens). Cole is the commander of the Kingsguard and has a personal relationship with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
While still presented as a complex, nuanced character, Cole can easily be classified as a villain in the show’s overarching history, and some fan reactions have been extreme enough to blur the lines between character and actor.
Following the Season 2 premiere, some fans commented on Frankel’s posts on social media platforms, saying they “hate” her for her character’s actions. Comments on several of Frankel’s Instagram posts were either limited or completely disabled. On a now-deleted post (via DiscussingFilm ) that showed a picture of Ser Criston Cole in Kingsguard armour, the comments were filled with expletives, as some viewers seemed unable to separate the actor from his role. The comments included threats such as “Man I hope someone jumps this guy”, “How did you go from being the most liked character and became the worst character in GOT history”, and some simply wrote “I hate you”.
House of the Dragon fans defend Fabien Frankel online
After Frankel decided to limit his social media comments, a wave of House of the Dragon fans rushed to support the actor. Comments on one of her recent Instagram posts highlight the absurdity of online trolls. One comment said:
“Imagine harassing an actor because of a role they play.. some of you guys really need to get a life. He’s an actor doing a great job playing a character we love to hate. Great job Fabien! 👏 look forward to what war crimes ser crispen commits in the next episode lol.”
Another fan points out that the backlash against the actor is due to his incredible performance as Ser Criston Cole.
The comment read:
“You’re a good actor. Ppl hate becuz you’re doing a good job.”
Game of Thrones fans hating actors for convincingly portraying a malevolent villain is, unfortunately, nothing new. Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey) was despised by fans during Game of Thrones’ HBO run. Headey’s performance was so good that many fans could not separate the actress from her work. Social media comments were flooded with hateful messages. The same thing happened to Iwan Rheon when he played Ramsay Bolton lavishly in the series.
Fabien Frankel has had to limit his comments on Instagram due to harassment he has faced since ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ Season 2 began. pic.twitter.com/7GHvZInSe7
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 24, 2024
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