While promoting her new series, The Girlfriend, on Amazon Prime Video, Olivia Cooke has also spent a long time chatting in length about her experience on Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. We've already covered a lot of her interviews, such as this one, where she teased season 3.
In a new interview with Hits Radio UK (shared on TikTok), Cooke shared her "amazing" bond with co-star Emma D'Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, Alicent's rival.
Olivia Cooke gushes over Emma D'Arcy
At the beginning of the series, Alicent and Rhaenyra share a close bond—they're almost like sisters. However, Alicent marries Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys, and their relationship turns sour. After the death of Viserys, tensions rise as Alicent and Rhaenyra both vie to seize the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra was originally named heir to the throne, but Alicent wants her sons to inherit the position.
Despite their venomous on-screen tension, Cooke and D'Arcy share a close bond. "They're amazing. I am so happy that Rhaenyra is them and we just support each other. It's a unit," Cooke said. "It's a really beautiful friendship. They've got my back and I've got them; it's really wonderful to experience this together."
Naturally, the process of filming House of the Dragon is chaotic. There are a lot of moving parts. "It is, like, mad. It can be quite disorientating," Cooke explained, adding that having D'Arcy by her side makes things more bearable. "So to navigate that with them is so wonderful. And to be able to make light of it all when sometimes it's a bit overwhelming and scary."
The time Olivia Cooke slapped co-star Tom Glynn-Carney
Speaking of Cooke, the actress also recently discussed a funny moment while filming an earlier episode, in which she played out a scene where she had to slap co-star Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays her son, Aegon. In fairness, Aegon himself is despicable. But poor Glynn-Carney wasn't prepared for Cooke's hidden strength.
“I walloped him!” she told The i Paper. “I don’t know my own strength! It was a slap that resonated across the land! It made him cry! I mean, that was the reaction that he’d wanted for the cameras. But I felt awful. It was hideous. I’ve always felt sick and wanted to cry after doing any stunt work like that.”
House of the Dragon season 3 should wrap filming next month. The new season is expected to premiere in 2026, although HBO has not announced a release date yet. Watch this space for more updates.