Olivia Cooke makes her debut in House of the Dragon this Sunday, September 25. The actress takes over the role of Alicent Hightower from Emily Carey, who played the character for the first five episodes of its debut season for HBO. The Game of Thrones universe is not known for taking big time jumps in the series or replacing protagonists frequently. However, there is a ten-year jump between episodes five and six of House of the Dragon. So unfortunately, Carey and her co-star Milly Alcock have been forced to leave the series in favor of older actors who can play the characters of Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in their late twenties.
Of course, they will be replaced by talent that can continue the precedent Alcock and Carey have set, as Cooke and Emma D’Arcy seem perfect for the roles. However, Cooke admits she wasn’t quite prepared for the first day of shooting during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! She tells the host she had a hangover on their first shoot and ended the day with a chipped tooth. “I had a really bad hangover. Really bad, actually. Really bad.” The actress says she appeared on Alan Carr’s Life is a beach Podcast, where the couple had one glass of wine too many.
“I never do that, but there’s a comedian in England that I love, Alan Carr, and he has a podcast. He invited me to the podcast and I was really excited,” she explains. “And my call time the next day wasn’t until 11, so I brought a bottle of wine as a gesture. The podcast is over and we’re just chatting, chatting.” Then she says that more wine began to pour. “He tells me a lot of gossip. More wine, more wine, more wine. I don’t remember coming home,” she says. “I remember tilting my head down to put my hair in bangs fell.” She continues: “I woke up the next day and had a chip on my tooth. A very small chip, but enough to enlarge the tongue. And you think, ‘What have I done?’ Nobody knew on set, until now.”
Cooke Joined an All-Star Cast in House of the Dragon
The cast of House of the Dragon has been great through five episodes of its debut season. Stars like Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel and Eve Best have showcased their talent on HBO’s spin-off series, but one actor has stolen the show. Matt Smith plays Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragonand his character is undoubtedly a fan favorite so far.
With Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy joining the cast, fans hope they can continue Emily Carey and Milly Alcock’s amazing performance. However, if House of the Dragon wants to stay at the level of Game of Thrones, the two new actors will not only have to continue the characters of Rhaenyra and Alicent, but will have to take the characters of Rhaenyra and Alicent to the next level as the first season kicks off the second half. Fans can see Cooke and D’Arcy’s debut when House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, September 25.