Actor Fabien Frankel—who plays the reviled Ser Criston Cole on HBOx’s House of the Dragon—found himself targeted by members of the fandom who can't seem to separate fact from fiction.
Fortunately, fans who can make that distinction came to his aid in droves.
The 30-year-old British actor was forced to limit engagement on his social media pages after so-called fans left toxic messages and threats aimed at his knight character that many consider to be one of the "worst" in the Game of Thrones universe.
"I hate you," read one comment according to saved screenshots, while another wrote:
"How did you go from being the most liked character and become the worst character in GOT history."
One user suggested physical violence by commenting:
"Man I hope someone jumps this guy."
@westerosies/X
The constant haranguing led Frankel to turn off comments on his Instagram account, at least for now.
An army of supportive fans then shielded him from the misplaced hatred and fought off aggressors with a reality check.
Ser Criston is a fictional character created by the writers, not Fabien Frankel.
One could argue all of the online vitriol is the result of Frankel's brilliant acting, as well as quality directing and writing.
Several users recognized this.
Uproxx also noted that actor Jack Gleeson—who portrayed arguably the more loathsome Game of Thrones character Joffrey Baratheon—didn't face similar fan hostility as Frankel.
Gleeson said at a Game of Thrones Convention in 2022:
"Thankfully, I’ve never had any negative fan experiences or anything…There’s still a chance, if anybody wants to throw a punch."
He continued:
“A lot of people come up to me because I guess this rumor started that people were horrible to me on the street or I get attacked…whereas I’ve never had one negative experience.”
Frankel is scheduled to appear in another HBO drama.
The yet-to-be-titled limited series will be led by Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent with co-star Alison Oliver of Conversations With Friends. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the series "revolves around members of a law enforcement task force and the people they’re trying to apprehend."
Frankel will play Anthony, a key member of the task force. Audiences will have to wait and see if his character is more likable than the one he is currently being torched for.
House of Dragon is the prequel to HBO's hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, adapted from George R. R. Martin's 2018 book Fire and Blood.
Now in its second season, new episodes of House of Dragon air Sundays on HBO and Max.