When the cameras stop rolling on the House of the Dragon set, an unexpected bond emerges from the shadows of Westeros. Ser Otto Hightower, the shrewd and ambitious Hand of the King, maybe a master of political intrigue, but his portrayer, Rhys Ifans, has a talent for winning hearts off-screen. With his quick wit and playful pranks, Rhys Ifans has endeared himself to his fellow cast members, including Fabien Frankel, who brings Ser Criston Cole to life. As we venture into House of the Dragon, let’s uncover the off-screen connections between Ifans and his co-stars and how their genuine camaraderie shapes the on-screen dynamics.
House of the Dragon’s Light-hearted Moments
Fabien Franklin shared a hilarious incident where Olivia Cooke playfully pranked him with a merkin during an intimate scene, leaving him red-faced but also highlighting the cast’s fun-loving nature. It appears that the cast loves to play practical jokes on each other to ease the tension on set, with Cooke and Franklin having a particularly playful bond. But it’s Rhys Ifans who’s the real prank master, bringing a playful spark to the set with his naughty behavior. Fabien Frankel reveals in an interview with Esquire,
“You know what? It’s out there now. The right thing to do is to put that photo out on the Internet. It is one of the funniest pictures of all time. Olivia and I have a very prankstery kind of relationship. We’re always trying to get at each other and do things to make each other laugh. I can’t speak to Team Black’s vibe on their set, but ours is very badly behaved. Mainly because of Rhys Ifans, because he’s just the naughtiest professional I’ve ever met, in the greatest way humanly possible.”
Credit: HBO
Rhys Ifans is the naughtiest person on the team
Fabien Frankel has spilled the beans on his co-star’s cheeky antics, revealing that Rhys Ifans loves to play practical jokes on set. Ifans has been caught sneaking a feel of Frankel’s sword during scenes and even pretended to slap himself in the face, using Frankel’s hand. He’d then turn to Frankel with a straight face and mockingly scold Fabien that he was a naughty boy. Frankel’s had enough of Rhys Ifans’ mischief to declare him a “master prankster” who brings a playful vibe to the set.
“Brother, you name it, he’s done it. He’ll stroke my sword under the table in the middle of a scene. He’ll slap himself in the face using my hand while the camera’s close up on him so it looks like I’ve slapped him in the face. Then he’ll be like, “Fabien, I can’t believe you slapped me in the face there.” That guy is a prankster to his absolute bones.”
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