Actor Fabien Frankel says he was attending Game of Thrones alumna and his former co-star Emilia Clarke's birthday party when he told her he was set to board House of the Dragon, a prequel to the epic fantasy series.

Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's blockbuster show Game of Thrones through its eight-season run from 2011 to 2019.

Frankel, who essays the role of Ser Criston Cole in the currently on air House of the Dragon, had a small role in the 2019 romcom Last Christmas which starred Clarke.

“I went to her birthday party a year or maybe eight months ago. I told her I was doing House of the Dragon and she was lovely. She was very excited for me,” Frankel told PTI in a virtual roundtable interview.

“I’ve got to meet a few of the Game of Thrones cast members in the last three-four months, which has been lovely. They have all been incredibly kind and seem very excited about the show,” the 28-year-old added.

Criston Cole, originally of Dornish descent, is described as an accomplished knight from House Cole. Dorne is one of the nine constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms as described in the book series by George R.R. Martin.

Like other characters in House of the Dragon, Frankel said Cole also undergoes a transformational journey.

“They change so much over the course of the show. That's what makes them such rich human beings and why that's so interesting for us to play,” he added.

The actor, whose career began on stage in 2017, said it took him some time to get used to the medium of television. He also featured in the 2021 miniseries drama The Serpent.

“I found it very difficult because I've not worked a lot (on TV). I come from the theatre where everything is chronological. So, you kind of wish everything was chronological on screen… You're shooting some things that are the first scenes. We shot episodes six and seven of the show (in the beginning) where time has changed and people are different,” he explained.

In the first episode of House of the Dragon, Frankel's character won the fight of the knights after he defeated Prince Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith.

The actor said he and Smith were ably supported by the show's stunt team, led by Rowley Irlam, who also choreographed the stunts on Game of Thrones.

“They worked with us closely to get this fight down and that kind of was like a dance... I felt very safe doing it with Matt... There's such a talented team (on the series) that by the time you've got to shoot it, you feel ready. But you're still nervous because the adrenaline is very high,” he added.

House of the Dragon also stars Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, and Graham McTavish.

The series is streaming in India on Disney+ Hotstar with a new episode dropping every Monday.