That means - in a series like this of course not with a hundred percent certainty - good news for Olivia Cooke. In House of the Dragon, she plays the role of Alicent Hightower, the second wife of King Viserys I Targaryen. As the former daughter of the Hand of the King - Otto Hightower - she plays an important role in the many upheavals Westeros will see during that time.
For Cooke, her career didn't start with House of the Dragon. To do this, you have to go back about ten years in time. When it is 2012, the British mini-series Blackout (2012) will be released. Cooke is still in her teenage years and a real newcomer to the world of series. Blackout (2012), which is about a corrupt city councilor with a serious drinking problem and a possible dark secret, has not been received too well. Cooke doesn't do all that bad in the three-episode story.
Soon after, Cooke plays in The Secret Of Crickley Hall. The Secret Of Crickley Hall is a typical HBO horror series where a young family moves after the youngest son goes missing. The new house soon turns out to be possessed by all kinds of supernatural violence that has to do with the disappearance of the son. The traditional question asked in this kind of series: does everyone who has entered the house safely cross the threshold again and can a long and - sort of - happy life be lived afterward?
After the miniseries follows Cooke's real breakthrough. She is cast in A&E's Bates Motel. This highly successful prequel to Hitchcock's Psycho tells the story of Norman Bates and his mother, Norma. Norman is sixteen and burdened by his domineering mother. That slowly changes as he shows increasingly strange behavior and - as we could see Psycho - grows into one of America's most notorious serial killers.
Cooke plays the role of Emma Decody. She always feels a bit of an outsider because of her cystic fibrosis. In this way, she recognizes herself in Norman - also an outsider - and she soon falls in love. Whether that is a very suitable choice... you can see for yourself in the series.
While Bates Motel is a moderately successful series with five seasons, we don't really see a whole lot of Cooke following it. She has a brief appearance in Ax Cop. Here, she lends her voice to the Loch Ness Monster in one episode. She also plays in several films, of which the horror film Ouija is perhaps the best known. Shortly after Bates Motel, she also appears in Ready Player One, among others, after which she returns to the small screen in Vanity Fair (2018). Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, this historical miniseries follows Becky Sharp. Cooke plays the role of Becky with verve as she attempts to rise from poverty to the heights of British high society.
Roles in Modern Love and Slow Horses follow, after which we return to House of the Dragon. Cooke is already going to cause quite a stir in the first season in her role as Alicent Hightower. Something to look forward to if you continue to follow the series. On to more dragon violence!
Are you a fan? Click this link for more (guest)roles of Olivia Cooke.
Do you have a favorite actor or actress? Let us know and maybe we'll talk about him/her in our next spotlight!
