Criston Cole has always been one of the most divisive figures in House of the Dragon, and Fabien Frankel knows it. At Budapest Comic Con, he revealed how he approaches playing such a morally complex character — by looking to Christoph Waltz’s iconic performance as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. For Frankel, the key is not to see Criston as a villain, but to find the humanity behind his questionable choices.
Quick read
- Fabien Frankel compares Criston Cole to Hans Landa.
- He says actors must justify their characters’ actions.
- Criston’s questionable choices are written with nuance.
Finding humanity in a divisive knight
Frankel explained that embodying Criston Cole requires empathy, not judgment. He shared: “I think it’s an odd thing because obviously when you’re playing a character like that, you’re trying the best you can to like understand the mentality of someone like that. So, you find justifications for actions. I watched this great interview with Christoph Waltz talking about playing Hans Landa and I don’t know if you saw it Inglourious Basterds. He’s like they ask him, you know, how is it to embody such a villain? And he’s like, I don’t see him as a villain even though he so clearly is.”
By invoking Waltz’s approach, Frankel highlights the actor’s responsibility to step inside a character’s mind, even when their actions are morally indefensible. For Criston, that means finding the logic behind betrayal, loyalty shifts, and brutal choices — not excusing them, but understanding them.
Why Criston Cole isn’t just a villain
Frankel went further, connecting Waltz’s philosophy to his own work: “And so, you know, although I suppose Criston Cole’s actions are so questionable at times, you know, you do the best you can as an actor to find a way into that and it’s so eloquently written as a show.”
That perspective reframes Criston as more than just a villain. He’s a man caught in the chaos of the Dance of the Dragons, whose choices may be reprehensible but are rooted in a worldview the actor must inhabit. For fans, this means Criston’s arc will continue to spark debate — is he a traitor, a survivor, or simply a knight trapped in history’s cruelest war?
