Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for House of the Dragon Episode 4.
With the moment being key for the show’s story, House of the Dragon star Fabien Frankel opens up his extensive preparation for his sex scene in the Game of Thrones prequel. Frankel portrays the honorable Ser Criston Cole, a member of the Kingsguard whose primary job is to ensure the safety of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Hand-picked by the Princess herself, Cole and Rhaenyra have grown close as House of the Dragon has progressed. Their relationship blossomed into friendship during a royal hunt, where Ser Criston and Rhaenyra spotted a white stag her father, King Viserys I, had failed in finding and killing.
It did not take long for romance to blossom between the young characters. In House of the Dragon episode 4, Rhaenyra’s uncle, Daemon Targaryen, took her into the underbelly of King’s Landing to explore the lives of common folk. Inside a brothel, he convinced her that, as heir to the Iron Throne, she could do anything she desires. Upon returning to the Red Keep, she seduces Ser Criston, resulting in an intimate sex scene between the pair. The House of the Dragon moment encapsulates a new chapter in Rhaenyra and Criston’s relationship, one that is already set to impact future events in the series, and now one star is sharing how important it was to them to get it right.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Fabien Frankel revealed that he spent a lot of time working with House of the Dragon episode 4’s director, Clare Kilner, to ensure the quality of Rhaenyra and Ser Criston’s sex scene. Frankel said he talked about the sex scene for seven months, as it was important to him that it was portrayed in a true-to-life way, while also ensuring the scene didn’t come across as “gratuitous” to the audience. See what Frankel shared below:
It was something we talked about over seven months. It was one of the first things I was very keen to talk about. We were incredibly fortunate that episode 4 was directed by Clare Kilner, who I think is one of the great TV directors working today. The big thing for me was about it not feeling like another gratuitous, sweat-glistening-off-their-back sex scene, ’cause it’s just not like that. Anyone who’s ever had sex will tell you sex ain’t that beautiful. It isn’t some picturesque, amazing thing. It’s awkward, especially when you are young. There’s an uncomfortability that one has to sit in, and there’s a discovery and understanding of each other’s bodies — not to mention the practical side of the whole thing.
The portrayal of Ser Criston and Rhaenyra’s House of the Dragon sex scene ended up serving the show both visually and narratively, as it was not only portrayed in a way that helped to represent the youth of both characters, but also avoided gratuity per Frankel’s input. The sex sene has also resulted in major developments in House of the Dragon’s latest episode, most notably Ser Criston’s confessing the affair to Queen Alicent Hightower, who wears green to Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s pre-wedding feast as a symbol of war. Tensions also exploded during the feast, with Ser Criston killing Laenor’s lover, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, in the middle of the crowded room.
Fabien Frankel’s dedication to Ser Criston and Rhaenyra’s House of the Dragon episode 4 sex scene turned out to be of primary importance to the show. If it hadn’t been displayed the way it was, the impact of what’s happened as a result may not have packed as big a punch. The importance of Ser Criston and Rhaenyra’s affair also shows how House of the Dragon uses sex scenes to enhance the story being told instead of displaying them for the sake of nudity. The long-standing implications behind Ser Criston and Rhaenyra’s sex scene are sure to impact House of the Dragon as the show approaches a major time jump for its second half.
Source: EW