There is little doubt that Olivia Cooke is doing an excellent job at playing the scheming Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. However, there was a time when the Bates Motel star wasn't in the right mental state to portray the kind of woman who could handle just about anything. Cooke confirmed that she had a mental breakdown while working on the Steven Spielberg film Ready Player One.
Olivia Cooke recently spoke to The Guardian where she admitted to having a mental breakdown when she was only 22 years old. This was during the time she was filming Ready Player One and the thriller Thoroughbreds with Anya Taylor-Joy.
“It was bad, bad. Awful, actually,” Cooke said, adding that she didn't even take a break from filming. “Oh, no, I was working all the way through,” she said with a rueful laugh. “I was very good at hiding it.”
Interestingly, Cooke says that being so busy helped distract her during that period. “If anything, I was like, let me escape myself,” she said.
It's unfortunate to know that Olivia Cooke once struggled despite her successful career. Still, we're glad that she is doing much better now and we're looking forward to seeing more of her in House of the Dragon's last three episodes.
Olivia Cooke debuted as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon Episode 6, taking over the role as the adult version of the character. Whereas Emily Carey portrayed Alicent as a quiet teenager who doesn't go against the king, Cooke's version of the character has no problem in speaking to her husband openly. With that in mind, it displays an intense growth for the queen.
House of the Dragon Episode 7 is now available on HBO Max. House of the Dragon Episode 8 is titled The Lord of the Tides and will premiere on HBO on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
Related: House of the Dragon Episode 8 Preview Teases the Greens' First Blow Against Rhaenyra
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