How House Of The Dragon Made Fabien Frankel Feel Like Heath Ledger

"House of the Dragon" has so far proved itself to be every bit as sexually explicit and imaginatively gory as its predecessor, "Game of Thrones," despite the creative team behind the prequel swearing up and down that the newest journey into the lethal political sphere of Westeros would be, well, not any of that. Despite this, such content doesn't immediately preclude the HBO series from providing anything of merit or, at the very least, intrigue. For instance, "House of the Dragon" caught audience's attention in the second episode by displaying crab-related torture sequences. It was ... unforgettable, to say the least.

But it's not all incest and insurrection (although, that is, admittedly, most of it). Sometimes, the project strays dangerously close to being a fun medieval fantasy, and no one knows that better than Fabian Frankel, the man who portrays Ser Criston Cole. Let's take a look at the almost adorable way that he felt while filming in his knightly armor. 

In an interview with Collider, Matt Smith and Fabian Frankel discussed the struggles of working with full suits of armor. Frankel, however, admitted to loving the experience because it reminded him of one of his favorite films. He said, "Yeah, it looks great. I felt a bit like Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale. I always say that because he fights in armor with no sigil on it. I remember the first time, I was like, 'This is the closest I'll ever feel to Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale.' That was quite an iconic film for me in my youth."

For the record, it's refreshing to hear someone compare themself to Heath Ledger's portrayal of William Thatcher, as it's so common for actors to dream of matching his energy as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." In addition to this, "A Knight's Tale" is one of those movies that just never gets enough praise, no matter how many times it trends on TikTok, so we'll boost any mention of the early 2000s title. It's also just really funny to imagine someone working on something as serious as "House of the Dragon" with something as beautifully silly as "A Knight's Tale" swimming around their thoughts. 

As far as comparisons go, it's not too far off, either — Frankel's role is obviously meant to be a dashing knight in the same vein as Ledger's William Thatcher. That being said, George R.R. Martin's tale has never been kind to such heroes, so it's unlikely that Frankel's journey will mirror his inspirations for much longer.