Olivia Cooke on ‘House of the Dragon’ and Tuning Out Twitter Criticism

Olivia Cooke just had the biggest year of her career, thanks to HBO’s hit #GameOfThrones spinoff, #HouseOfTheDragon. Part of creating her standout performance as Alicent Hightower was accepting not every part of her process would line up exactly with the massive amount of fan expectations surrounding the show.
“Whatever layers I try to give the character in order to make a more nuanced performance… ultimately it’s not going to please everyone,” she says. “But that’s just what I have to do in order to give a decent, honest performance. I have to imbue it with just things that justify the characters, actions and emotions. And those might not necessarily be in the original text, or even in the scripts.”
In this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Cooke brings us behind the scenes of “House of the Dragon,” explains the layers she added to Alicent, and shares her mindset as she gears up for season 2.
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Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: bit.ly/2OMryWQ
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Special thanks to...
Host: Vinnie Mancuso
Producer: Jamie Muffett
Social media: Katie Minard, Karen Jenkins
Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins
Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Benjamin Lindsay, Oriella St. Louis

[@candac6251]

Alicent is MOTHER! I love her and all of her different complex layers, and how she has such an interesting dynamic with every character she interacts with! I can’t wait to see more!! I love how Olivia Cooke & Emily Carey understand Alicent and have played her. She is sooo talented and I LOVE her voice. 🥰🥰🥰😭

[@dabhyun1133]

I love this woman and I love how passionate she is about the characters she plays and her overall work!! Most Hotd fans are so dumb especially the ones on twitter and tik tok like I have never seen a fandom that lacks basic media literacy..even when they are spoonfed by the makers and the cast they will still not get it💀💀

[@GeraltORivia]

What are you referring to?

[@Meme-jo7uj]

@@GeraltORiviapeople misrepresent and misunderstand Alicent’s character and bashes her for it. Despite there being nuance to the character

[@jennafox8556]

"Most HOTD fans are so dumb." I couldn't agree more.

[@camilamboo]

she is MOTHER to so many

[@Divinitykim]

Fantastic!! Who would've thought Backstage would have such a great podcast too!

[@velmorfilm]

her podcasts are always so good!

[@aidan-mrtl]

she is such a sweetheart ugh

[@astridbeaucourt3457]

I just love her

[@niallcollins7796]

Great interview Vinnie!

[@rhaenatargaryen8061]

lesbians love alicent!

[@jennafox8556]

Alicent should sit on the Iron Throne. 💚 🤬 Rhaequeera!

[@anagabrielacardososoares7205]

Love her❤❤❤❤

[@Divinitykim]

Goals: get a role in a series/ movie similar to this show!

[@manvirshergill1739]

I like the fact that she knows about "Blood and Cheese" and what that means. Can't wait for season 2.

[@maisieeleanor3309]

38:14

[@Eowyn_Arwen]

people are gonna hate her character....

[@jennafox8556]

Speak for yourself, hater! Alicent's the best.

[@sytheaven]

♥♥♥

[@funnyshortvideo04]

wow

[@Karasuno86]

Maybe she should do her actual job, reading those books u know, instead of scrolling through twt and whining about fans opinions, those fans know George's books from letter to letter. Look at the witcher franchise: that what happens when most actors and showrunnets disrespect fans and source material

[@andreavazquezdelmercadobar4713]

Lol. She did read Fire and Blood (you know who didn’t? Matt Smith, and I don’t blame him, his job is to act, not to read the books, but you are not attacking him as you are attacking Olivia). And she doesn’t have to read ASOIAF because it happens after HOTD. Besides, it doesn’t matter what happened in the books, as a writer/director/actor what matters is what is on screen.

[@krishkrish8213]

Maybe you should not be an actual twat in the first place.

[@maisieeleanor3309]

42:21