‘House of the Dragon’: Older Alicent Actor Recalls Being ‘Hungover’ the First Day on Set
The first day on set can be a tough day for some actors as they get used to getting into character and working with the cast and crew. Olivia Cooke, who plays the older Alicent Hightower on House of the Dragon, recalls a rough first day on set where she was very “hungover” after an eventful night.
Olivia Cooke portrays an older Alicent in ‘House of the Dragon’
House of the Dragon is approaching the second half of its first season. The first five episodes have set up an intriguing conflict between Alicent (Emily Carey) and Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) over who will inherit the Iron Throne. Carey and Alcock have been exceptional in their roles, but the series has dealt with many time jumps, and their characters will now be played by older actors.
Starting episode six of House of the Dragon, Alicent will be played by Olivia Cooke, and Rhaenyra will be played by Emma D’Arcy. Cooke is an experienced actor who has been in several prolific projects, including Ready Player One, Thoroughbreds, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Sound of Metal. However, Cooke’s House of the Dragon experience began in a less ideal manner.
Olivia Cooke recalls being ‘hungover’ on her first day on set
In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cooke shared the experience of her first day on set. The actor explained that she had been drinking wine with a friend the night prior, and it went too far. The eventful night even led to her waking up with a chipped tooth. She still had a great experience on set, but being hungover on the first day was unprecedented for her.
“It was amazing and I was very hungover,” Cooke admitted. “Really bad, actually. Really bad. And I never do that, but there’s this comedian in England who I love, Alan Carr, and he’s got a podcast. He invited me to be on the podcast and I was very excited. And my call time the next day wasn’t until 11 so I brought a bottle of wine just as a gesture and the podcast finished and we’re just chatting, chatting, chatting. He’s telling me loads of gossip. More wine, more wine, more wine. I don’t remember getting home. I remember, I tipped my head down to put my hair in a pony, fell over. And then I woke up the next day and I had a chip in my tooth. Very slight chip but enough that the tongue magnifies it. And you’re like, ‘What have I done?’ No one knew on set, until now.”
Cooke will first appear in episode 6
Cooke is making her House of the Dragon debut as Alicent in episode six. This episode follows an eventful episode five where Alicent wore a green dress to Rhaenyra’s wedding, placing her support behind her son, Aegon Targaryen. The next episode will have a noticeable time jump, so it will be intriguing to see what has happened in King’s Landing since the bloody wedding.
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max.
