Hello, I'm Emma, and I play Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Hello, I'm Olivia Cooke,
and I play Queen Alicent Hightower.
Never heard yourself call yourself queen.
I'm doing it a lot now, actually,
because someone said to me,
"Oh, so you play Paddy's wife in this."
And I was like, "I'm the fucking queen, actually."
♪ (INTENSE MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
Yes.
"What was your first impression?"
(CHUCKLES) Just like, "Oh, home."
Do you know what I mean?
I think we both sort of understood
what this meant and what we were both embarking on.
Yeah.
-And oh, my God, I'm so happy it's you. -Relief. Deep relief.
OLIVIA COOKE: Deep relief.
Ooh.
(READS QUESTION)
Um, I was in a field with my partner.
This came just after I was told
that it probably wasn't going to go my way.
-Really? -So I went to the countryside,
having auditioned for about three months.
-Yeah. -Then I got the phone call,
and I thought, "Thank fuck for that."
I felt so relieved, honestly.
-Yeah. -'Cause also, like,
if you audition for something over weeks and weeks and weeks,
you make space in your life for them.
Yeah, dude. You spend the time.
They're already living with you.
And the idea of, like-- I just wasn't...
-I think I wasn't ready to... -OLIVIA: Let it go.
Let it go. Yeah.
-OLIVIA: Well, good-- -What did you do?
-I was on my own in my flat. -EMMA D'ARCY: Yeah.
-Got a call from my agent. -EMMA: Yeah.
Well, you know it's gonna be a good call
when you've got your manager, your US agent,
your English agent, all of them, like,
"Hey, we got Christina, Josh, and Alex for you."
And you're like, "All right."
-And then I remember just-- -"It's a no."
I was just crouched by the wall
because my phone was uncharged.
So I was just crouched in my flat,
and they were all screaming.
And I was, like, initially elated,
and then was like... (SIGHS)
-"Fuck... Gotta do it now." -Yeah.
(READS QUESTION)
-A Negroni. -I was gonna say the same thing.
Sbagliato.
-OLIVIA: Ooh. -With prosecco in it.
-Oh, stunning. -EMMA: Yeah.
Yeah, I'm actually really fond of, in my older age, a martini.
A gin martini with a twist.
I think it's very elegant.
Gets me really pissed.
Can only do two, and then I feel sick.
-And a pint. -And a pint. Guinness.
Mmm. (LAUGHS) Okay, yeah.
No. (CHUCKLES)
(READS QUESTION)
-A badger. -Badger.
Badge--badger. Like, cute, but will fight.
-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -You know...
House of Badger.
House of Badger, yeah. What about you?
Uh...
I once mistook my grandma for a squirrel, so maybe...
-House of Squirrel. -EMMA: Yeah.
Something, like, close to my heart.
Plant?
Cabbage. Cabbage! Fuck squirrel!
That's good!
-Cabbage. -House of Cabbage.
(SIGHS) They're actually so beautiful.
Ooh. Oh, God.
(READS QUESTION)
-Oh, God. -Best and worst.
Uh... worst. "Follow your dreams."
-(OLIVIA LAUGHS) -EMMA: Best, um...
"Be careful what you wish for."
-(OLIVIA LAUGHS) -You?
Um, best... "Be kind, but don't be a pushover."
EMMA: Mm.
Worst... "One more? One more?"
-"One more. One more." -"One more. One more."
(READS QUESTION)
I actually find that really hard to answer.
-Do you? Why? -Yeah.
I, uh...
Didn't watch it. Hated it, actually.
I've never seen it. I fucking hated it.
No, um, I... My favorite.
Big fan of the White Walkers.
Yep. (CHUCKLES)
It think it would have to be-- It would be the White Walkers for me.
No, I just feel a bit basic.
Like, I just think Peter Dinklage is...
-Yeah, I know. -...effing incredible.
Yeah. No, I think, well, he's an amazing character.
That's one of my favorite characters.
Yeah, Tyrion and the White Walkers.
Tyrion, Cersei. I liked Cersei as well.
And The Hound, actually.
-Love The Hound. -The Hound had my heart.
OLIVIA: Okay.
(LAUGHS) You asked for it.
(READS QUESTION)
Well, it was Battle of the Bastards,
directed by Miguel Sapochnik.
(EMMA LAUGHS)
'Cause that was the best one and, you know--
What was Miguel like to work with on this show?
Miguel was wonderful to work with, actually.
I think we really found Alicent Hightower.
You know, her backstory isn't really there in the books.
A lot of other things were going on, you know?
Maybe, you know, they didn't have time to write about her.
Do you think it's a shame that that backstory was omitted?
No, 'cause I've gotten to just--
I've been the author of my backstory.
-EMMA: Yeah, yeah. -Yeah.
And Miguel. Miguel really shaped that.
And will you be credited for that work?
Yes, I've got a writer's credit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"Story by Olivia Cooke."
(BOTH LAUGH)
-Can't wait to see it. -Yeah.