House of the Dragon Season 2 has presented one of the most-hated characters in GOT history with Ser Criston Cole. Although Fabien Frankel’s character is not as bad as Joffrey Baratheon or Ramsay Bolton yet, the fans have taken a strong dislike to him.
While Frankel deserves praise for such an incredible performance, numerous viewers seemed to have forgotten the difference between an actor and a fictional character. The British actor had to forcefully limit his comments to protect his mental well-being from the relentless hate.
As the hate towards Fabien Frankel touched the ceiling, numerous fans also came forward to his support. They acknowledged that such a performance should be applauded for making us hate the character, but that does not allow us to harass the actor.
Fabien Frankel’s performance diminishes the line between fiction and reality
Actors playing gray characters in the Game of Thrones universe have always been treated mercilessly by the fans. Lena Headey and Olivia Cooke also received hate for their on-screen roles. After the events of the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, Fabien Frankel is the latest name on the list.
When Ser Criston Cole was first introduced, he was a likable character. However, soon after he killed Laenor’s lover Ser Joffrey Lonmouth at Rhaenyra’s wedding celebration in Episode 5 of Season 1, the audience started hating the character. As the HBO show started its Season 2, it only took 2 episodes for the fans to fill with disgust for the character.
Although the hatred among fans was a testament to his brilliant performance, some viewers have taken it too far and filled his social media with hate comments. The British actor had to limit his Instagram comments to control the hatred and maintain his mental well-being.
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
Besides the Game of Thrones universe, we have also seen how Wyatt Russell received relentless hate for his role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier MCU series. Several fans have urged the netizens to not indulge in such hateful behavior and to know the difference between a character and a person playing it.
Fans come in support of Fabien Frankel
Earlier Olivia Cooke admitted in an interview with The Wrap that she was shocked when a random woman came to her at a pub and said “You’re that girl on House of the Dragon your character is such a C word I hate you”. Things even got worse for Fabien Frankel as some fans directly questioned him regarding the actions of Ser Criston Cole.
Although Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon boasts some highly realistic visuals regarding the mighty dragons and the ruthless violence, sadly, some netizens have dragged it too far. Fortunately, a section of the internet came forward on X and voiced their opinions against such trolls.
That’s horrible hope he is okay
— Jack (@LuffyTopOne) June 24, 2024
Media literacy needs to be a Compulsory course in schools 😪
— mystique (@mystic_k9) June 24, 2024
It's a shame people often forget to separate the character from the actor
— FPL Marcin (@FPLMarcin) June 24, 2024
Bruh, y’all taking this too seriously. He’s playing a character
— Chad Thundercock (@GamerxShift) June 24, 2024
Harassment is never okay pic.twitter.com/THGAD2UpXl
— E-Man (@WigginsWick22) June 24, 2024
Sad, he's such a good actor. That he's making us hate his character.
Instead of attacking the man, praise him
He's that good
— akshay (@A_K_Verm) June 24, 2024
Negative characters have a massive role in making a project more memorable and nobody deserves such a treatment for an incredible performance. After the events of HOTD Season 2, Episode 2, it can be expected that Ser Criston Cole will be a more important character going forward and may be one of the best villains seen in a television series.
House of the Dragon can be streamed on Max.
