By Mashable | Created at 2026-08-01 09:15:17 | Updated at 2026-08-01 21:44:55
12 hours ago
Frankel talks the "joyful" experience of filming Criston Cole's last stand.
By
and
Belen Edwards
Entertainment Reporter
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
on August 1, 2026
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Farewell, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).
House of the Dragon's most-hated knight came to the end of his prolonged death march in Season 3, when he took three arrows to the chest and face. But before he met his unceremonious fate, he proved why he called himself the realm's greatest warrior, killing at least 10 enemy soldiers over the course of a brutal ambush.
Even though Criston makes mincemeat of several Rivermen, Frankel never wanted the fight to feel like a walk in the park.
"The big thing I found with all those fight scenes in general, in medieval-adjacent films, [is that] everyone always looks like it's so easy, and I wanted him to look exhausted," Fabien Frankel told Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards in a Say More interview.
He continued: "They've been on the road for so long, and we really worked super hard, me and the stunt team, to build the beats in where you find him exhausted, where you find him out of breath."
Criston's rising exhaustion is just one of the many stories House of the Dragon spins throughout the fight scene. Another has to do with Criston's weapons of choice. He begins the fight with a flail, the very same weapon he uses against Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in their tourney fight in House of the Dragon's very first episode. Later, he picks up a sword, reminiscent of his days in the Kingsguard and as a commander. He also pulls a dagger on his enemies, and this particular dagger is one that Frankel has been eager to use since Season 1.
In Season 1, Criston tries to stab himself with that same dagger, before a young Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) stops him. He's been carrying around that dagger at his back ever since.
"I had this dagger for a long time, and I wanted to find a reason to use it because it's unbelievably uncomfortable," Frankel said.
Enter Criston's last stand at the Butcher's Ball.
"We were looking for a few extra beats in the fight, and I was like, 'Guys, this is the moment, and the dagger has to come out now,'" Frankel said. "We had that amazing beat, which was so cool. They choreographed that so well, and the weapon progression was really joyful to do."
Watch Mashable's full interview with Frankel above.
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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