Olivia Cooke Reveals the Strange Feeling of Playing a Mother to Co-Stars Her Own Age in ‘House of the Dragon’
Olivia Cooke has opened up about one of the more unusual parts of playing Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. While the HBO fantasy series follows characters across different generations, the actress revealed that it felt strange playing the mother of actors who are almost the same age as her in real life.
Cooke, who plays one of the most important characters in the Game of Thrones prequel, spoke about the unusual age difference during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. She explained that she was surprised when she learned that Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays her son King Aegon II Targaryen, would be only slightly younger than her.
The actress said she initially thought the production might be planning another recasting and time jump when she found out who was auditioning for the role.
“When I found out that Tom Glynn-Carney was auditioning for my son, I was like, ‘What? Are they gonna recast Alicent again? And do another time jump?’” Cooke said during the interview.
In House of the Dragon, Alicent is shown as the mother of several adult children, including Aegon II, Aemond Targaryen, and Helaena Targaryen. However, the actors playing those roles are not far apart in age from Cooke. Tom Glynn-Carney is 31, Ewan Mitchell is 29, and Phia Saban is 27, while Cooke is 32.
The situation highlights one of the challenges of adapting a story that involves major time jumps. The series often uses younger actors for different stages of the characters’ lives, while later seasons focus on the older versions of those same characters.
Cooke admitted that the casting choice made her think about how women are often portrayed on screen, especially when it comes to aging. She suggested that Hollywood sometimes avoids showing female characters getting older while allowing male characters to age naturally.
“I think spiritually Tom and I are related. It’s odd, isn’t it? I feel many things about it. I feel like, ‘God, is this just the industry? Is this just Hollywood? They don’t want to see women age, you know?’” the actress said.
She also acknowledged that audiences may need to accept the unusual setup because of the way the story is being told.
“I think it’s a big leap for the audience to make. Or maybe I’m just a fantastic actor,” Cooke joked.
Despite the unusual casting situation, Cooke’s performance as Alicent Hightower has become one of the most praised parts of House of the Dragon. The character has grown from a young friend of Rhaenyra Targaryen into a powerful political figure at the center of the Targaryen civil war.
House of the Dragon continues to attract strong attention from fans, with viewers constantly discussing theories and possible story developments online. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series explores the events that led to the devastating conflict known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Season 3 of House of the Dragon premiered on June 21, with new episodes released weekly. As the story continues, Alicent’s complicated relationship with her children and her rivals remains one of the biggest parts of the show’s drama.
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