“She also has the mirror of Rhaenyra”: Olivia Cooke Shared Alicent’s Honest Opinions of Her Parenting Skills and It’ll Make Every House of the Dragon Fan Feel Her Pain
- Olivia Cooke talks about Alicent Hightower's self-analysis of being a mother.
- Cooke notes Alicent is probably terrified of Aemond Targaryen at this moment.
- The actress reveals one moment which is like coming-of-age moment for Alicent.
Based on the events from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel, HBO’s action-adventure fantasy drama House of the Dragon portrays the events that led to the downfall of House Targaryen. The show is set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and stars Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, and more.
House of the Dragon’s season two finale premiered last week and received positive responses from the critics and the audience. The season two finale sets the foundation for season three, and once again, fans cannot wait. Olivia Cooke recently addressed some of Alicent’s actions in season two, including her parenting style.
House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke gets candid about Alicent Hightower’s self-analysis as a mother
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, House of the Dragon actress Olivia Cooke, who portrays Alicent Hightower, shared what her character thinks about herself as a mother. She said,
I don’t think she has the self-reflection to think of herself as a child who was also then trying to raise children. She is incredibly self-flagellating, and I think a lot of the introspection that she has had throughout eight episodes has been her effect on her children also has the mirror of Rhaenyra, who has taken to motherhood so well, and her children are so loyal, kind, and strong and adore her.
And how she could have raised them differently. She also has the mirror of Rhaenyra, who has taken to motherhood so well, and her children are so loyal, kind, and strong and adore her.
Cooke added that Alicent realizes that she does not have intimacy with her children the same way Rhaenyra does with her children and it makes her sad. During the conversation, the actress also spoke about how Alicent feels about Aemond played by Ewan Mitchell’s actions, stating that she is probably terrified of her son. She explained that it could be because, on the surface, he has everything that the male-dominated council would want in a leader.
But at the end of the day, she is his mother, and can see that he is a fragile boy who is quick to anger and seek revenge because of what had happened to him. Cooke says Alicent knows that Aemond is the one behind Aegon’s attack and noted that she feels that Aemond is a terrifying lost cause.
The actress was asked if the way Rhaenyra described Alicent as ‘the cold queen, grasping for power and then defeated’ is an apt description of the character. Cooke shared,
No, but I think she finds that sort of morbidly funny. There’s gallows humor in that for Alicent; she’s just like, ‘Fu**’n hell, after everything, that’s the least of my worries.’
Cooke noted that Alicent probably does not care anymore, and she wants to live out the rest of her days in peace.
Olivia Cooke points at Alicent Hightower’s powerful moment in Episode 7
In her interview with Time Magazine, Olivia Cooke describes that Episode 7, where Alicent is seen removing her outer dress and entering the lake, floating on her back while looking up at the sky, is one of the powerful moments for her character. The actress explains that there is a theme of feeling shamed and unclean for her character throughout the season.
Cooke pointed out that the moment the audience saw Alicent being involved with Ser Criston Cole, which led to the tragic death of an infant, was the moment she did not feel pure. She adds,
There’s this compulsion to scrub her skin raw to purge the rot from what she did and how she feels she is to blame. This felt like baptism. Stripping the outer layer and that f****ing collar. Her getting into the lake on her own is embryonic in a way. It’s weirdly a coming-of-age moment for Alicent.
The actress, who has been appreciated for her work as Alicent on the show, mentioned that it’s a masterclass watching Emma D’Arcy work, adding that watching their work makes her a better actor. She shared that they give each other direction while working and noted that even though they did not have many scenes together in Season 2, she was glad to have a scene towards the end of Episode 3 and Season finale.
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max.
