Olivia Cooke ‘didn’t watch’ Game of Thrones before landing Alicent role ‘Resisted it’

House of the Dragon: Teaser trailer for episode seven

Game of Thrones continued for eight epic seasons on HBO before coming to a jaw-dropping conclusion in 2019, with millions of viewers tuning in worldwide. However, a key member of the cast of George RR Martin’s new prequel series, House of the Dragon, has recently admitted she wasn’t one of them.

English actress Olivia Cooke admitted she didn’t watch Game of Thrones before auditioning for the role of Alicent Hightower.

The main cast member has just been introduced in House of the Dragon alongside Emma D’Arcy after the action jumped forward by 10 years.

This is the first time the popular fantasy franchise has jumped forward so significantly between episodes, and the newcomers had big shoes to fill after replacing Milly Alcock and Emily Carey.

Olivia landed the role of Alicent, the second wife of King Viserys I Targaryen (played by Paddy Considine) back in October 2020 after a secretive audition process.

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Olivia Cooke ‘didn’t watch’ Game of Thrones before landing Alicent role ‘Resisted it’ (Image: HBO)

House of the Dragon jumped forward 10 years last week (Image: HBO)

However, despite having finished well over a year before she was successful in getting the part, she still hadn’t seen an episode when the auditions began.

“I resist things that are popular,” the actress admitted. “But to my own detriment, because it’s really f*****g good

Olivia eventually got around to the series and quickly realised what millions of fans had been talking about since the adult fantasy drama got started in 2010.

Although later seasons of Game of Thrones aired to mixed responses from fans, the franchise has safely remained one of the most popular TV dramas of the past decade.

House of the Dragon: Olivia Cooke wasn’t a Game of Thrones fan when she auditioned (Image: HBO)

House of the Dragon: Over 20 million people have tuned in to the hit fantasy series (Image: HBO)

House of the Dragon continues its winning streak, having debuted to a massive 20 million viewers within the premiere episode’s first week of release.

Knowing millions of eyes would be watching her if she took the role, Olivia also admitted she was initially somewhat reluctant to play Alicent.

“When I was auditioning, I was definitely like: ‘I don’t know if this is what I want for my life’,” she recalled to The Guardian.

“But then I got to see the first two scripts, and it was good,” she added, with emphasis on “good”.

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She described Alicent as “an incubator who’s been indoctrinated to be fine with it, and to know her place within the court.

“But that’s not to say that she’s not got agency, or power and intelligence – it’s just a really interesting amalgamation.”

She also confirmed part of the show’s appeal was its base in London, especially after taking part in numerous Hollywood projects.

Olivia has appeared in a number of US films, such as Ready Player One and Sound of Metal, but House of the Dragon allowed her to be much closer to her hometown of Manchester.

“It felt really alluring, just being in one place for a year,” she explained.

“It felt amazing. But then also, obviously – oh my God. Is my life about to change in a really scary way? And: ‘What have I done?’”

Acting alongside huge British names like Paddy and Matt Smith will undoubtedly shoot Olivia’s fame skyward, and fans are looking forward to seeing more of Alicent’s influence on the Targaryens in future seasons.

House of the Dragon continues Sundays on HBO in the USA and the following Monday on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.