Olivia Cooke rules as Queen Alicent in "House of the Dragon" — a career-making role for the
talented Brit. Here's what you should know about the woman behind the scene-stealing monarch.
When you see a young actor land so many successful roles, you wonder where they
started and how they prepared for such a wonderful career. In Olivia Cooke's case,
it started when she was 8 years old. She told Interview magazine in 2014,
Cooke finally landed a lead role when she was 17 years old. The show? "Prom:
The Musical," a remake of "Cinderella."
Many young actors are homeschooled or take classes between scenes. But Olivia Cooke seems to have
broken the mold. According to the Independent, her rise to fame was far from typical.
She didn't have parents who pushed her to perform or dragged her to auditions. On the contrary,
she was the kid who dropped out of school right before her A-levels to
chase her big break. She told the Guardian in October 2022,
Her background in theater definitely helped. However,
it probably helped even more to have an agent. Cooke secured representation as a young teen,
per her Oldham Theater Workshop profile, which put her on the path to appearing in commercials.
"Blackout" follows the story of a councilman who ends up as
front-runner to become mayor of Manchester. The mini-series aired on the BBC in 2012,
and it was Olivia Cooke's first professional role. The then-18-year-old played the
daughter of Christopher Eccleston, aka The Ninth Doctor on "Doctor Who."
That same year, she appeared in the mini series "The Secret of Crickley
Hall," and she's stayed busy ever since. In 2018, Cooke shared with Radio Times,
Thousands of teenage girls around the world are obsessed with Harry Styles
and would give anything to be able to say, "Harry Styles gave me a piggyback ride." But
not many will get to say it. Olivia Cooke, however, was a proud piggyback passenger.
One Direction filmed their boarding school-themed tour video "Autumn Term" in 2012, and,
soon after landing her first professional role, Olivia Cooke was a part of it. The
promotional video features the band and several girls hanging out on campus.
Years later when asked by MTV about this experience and how excited she had been, she said,
Cooke told MTV that her "super cool" feeling went away pretty quickly,
replaced by an urgent desire … to return home to her own bathroom.
"I remember I held in a poo all day,
and I was really constipated for so long that I had a really, really bad bellyache."
Although she dropped out of school before her A-levels,
Cooke auditioned for a spot at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 2014,
when she was 18, but was rejected. She told i-D in a 2015 interview,
Later that year she was cast in the movie "The Quiet Ones," an indie horror movie that was a
modest success, pulling in $17 million worldwide. It also set Cooke down a path as a horror staple.
A&E's "Bates Motel" was one of the best-reviewed dramas on TV, and among the stars of the "Psycho"
prequel was Olivia Cooke, who told the Guardian that working with Vera Farmiga was one of the
highlights of her career. Cooke's role as Emma was her first role in an American production.
The experience was full of firsts for the actor. For the filming of the series,
she had to move to Vancouver, away from her family, friends, country,
and everything she knew. She told The Hollywood Reporter,
Cooke had what she called a "full mental breakdown," but she kept it a secret from
everyone around her. On a more positive note, the star acknowledges her career
definitely benefited from taking that plane across the world. She told the Radio Times,
Olivia Cooke's next success in the horror genre was 2014's "Ouija".
"You ever feel like even after someone you
love has died there's still a way you can talk to them?"
In an interview with Collider, the actor said the role felt right for her, saying,
But she also enjoys portraying characters who are nothing like
her. Speaking to Collider about her character in "Bates Motel," she said,
After her horror hot streak, she took on comedy
in "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," going above and beyond for the part.
In "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," Cooke played Rachel, the dying girl, and she decided to shave
her head in order to bring the character to life. The director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, told The Argus,
There was a part of Cooke that struggled with this decision. It was the right thing
to do for the movie, but it had emotional repercussions for the star. She told Collider,
Her co-star Thomas Mann told film critic Peter Travers that the actual head shaving
was filmed, and done in character, but ultimately didn't make the final cut.
Moving across the world and shaving her head shows how dedicated Olivia
Cooke is to her career. She jumps headfirst into every role and does whatever it takes
to make sure her portrayal is accurate and the audience can connect with it.
"Ruben? You hurt yourself? You hurt me. I'll hurt myself too. I'll hurt myself too."
According to Vanity Fair, it took Cooke six weeks to learn to play the guitar
for her role in "Sound of Metal." When it came to performing, the actor said,
Cooke wasn't the only one who had to learn something new for the movie. Her co-star Riz
Ahmed spent seven months learning to play the drums and use American Sign Language.
If you think everyone in the world watched "Game of Thrones," think again,
because Olivia Cooke didn't. She only started watching it when she auditioned
for "House of the Dragon" in 2020. In October 2022, she told the Guardian,
After living abroad for many years due to her line of work,
Cooke returned to London to heal after a breakup. And in this time of healing,
she decided to self-tape her audition for "House of The Dragon." She told Interview magazine,
It all worked out, of course,
with Cooke receiving rave reviews for her performance as Queen Alicent Hightower.