Olivia Cooke debuted on House of the Dragon as Alicent in the Hightower branch of the Targaryen family tree, taking over the role as the adult version of the queen after Emily Carey played the teen version. Many fans have already taken sides when it comes to Alicent vs. Rhaenyra as civil wars looms in the world of Westeros, and Cooke has seen plenty of hate for her character. She has found a way to shake it off, however, as she revealed with House of the Dragon Season 2 on the way!
While House of the Dragon has arguably made Alicent look a lot better in the show than she does in the book, she made some moves in Season 1 that guaranteed fans of the Blacks – a.k.a. supporters of Rhaenyra and Daemon – would lump her in with the rest of the hated Greens, a.k.a. the Hightowers and their supporters. Speaking on the Unwrapped podcast, Olivia Cooke weighed in on her character getting criticism:
Even if you did dislike my character, that’s so fine! You’re so entitled to that. That’s why I don’t want to play characters that have to be liked universally. That’s the beauty of what we do. Everyone is so moved and projects so much stuff in so many different ways... I’m fully aware that Alicent is a bit like Marmite.
Marmite might not be the most widespread food on the American side of the pond, but the British spread is known for being either loved or hated. That does seem to be the case with Alicent Hightower following one season. After the House of the Dragon Season 2 teaser, the confirmation that Cooke's Alicent is one of the returning characters for Season 2, and some spoilerific book plot points that are expected in the new episodes, it'll be interesting to see whether she'll be getting more or less hate in 2024!
Based on what George R.R. Martin said about the upcoming episodes in the new year, fans have a lot to look forward to. For her part, Olivia Cooke opened up about how she reacts to less-than-positive comments about Alicent that she receives directly from House of the Dragon viewers:
I had it last night in the pub! Some woman came up to me and was like, ‘You’re that girl in House of the Dragon! Your character is such a’ c-word. [laughs] I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ ‘I hated you!’ And you just gotta be like, 'Oh, okay. Okay. Have a nice night.’ But hey, you’re making people feel. I guess there’s some sort of impact that the story and the art is pushing through. It’s all so hard to quantify because I feel like I live in such different boxes in terms of my life. I’m able to compartmentalize and put that experience away.
As Cooke pointed out, Alicent getting such a strong reaction means that she's making people feel invested in her story! Any longtime fans of the franchise already know from Game of Thrones that it's unwise to expect any character in the world of Westeros to only ever do the right thing, and she is able to compartmentalize the hate she gets for Alicent's worst actions. The actress continued:
I’m learning to have a bit more of rhino skin, so I don’t really take it personally. Like, I know she’s not the heroine. I went into that [show] knowing that. She’s a very flawed person and she’s full of all these different complexities. It is just hard to take on, and I guess that’s the best, really, to just not to take it on.
It's hard to say if House of the Dragon really does have a heroine. Rhaenyra may have been the protagonist of Season 1, but she had her fair share of dark deeds as well. Olivia Cooke seems to be good friends with Emma D'Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, though! An interview between the two stars went viral for Season 1, and Cooke shared that they're "incredibly excited to play" whenever they get a chance to perform together, citing the very intense scene of Alicent drawing a dagger on Rhaenyra.
Whether or not Alicent and Rhaenyra share many scenes in Season 2 remains to be seen. House of the Dragon will return in summer of the 2024 TV schedule, although a precise date has yet to be announced. For now, you can always revisit Season 1 streaming with a Max subscription.
