‘The House of the Dragon’: Olivia Cooke (Alicent) on Cersei Lannister and the famous foot scene

“House of the Dragon” has just finished its first season, but the conversation about some of its most impressive moments is not over. The last person to have dared to comment on various ideas about the series was, no more, no less, Alicent Hightower herself, Olivia Cooke, lead actress in the “Game of Thrones” prequel.

One of the topics most discussed by the public of ‘The House of the Dragon’ during the two and a half months of airing of the series is the similarity between Alicent and Cersei Lannister, one of the most important characters of “Game of Thrones”. In an interview with Variety, Cooke decided to give his opinion on this comparison:

“They will always be compared. I think they are very different and I limited the amount of wine I drank in the scenes because I didn’t want the comparison to be too obvious.” Cook jokes. Let us remember that one of the many things that characterized Cersei was the large number of times she appeared on screen with a glass of wine. – “What Lena Headey did with Cersei was amazing. She was one of my favorite characters because, as disgusting as she was, she is motivated by eternal love for her children. In those parameters, both would do anything for their children. But I think Alicent has a lot more anxiety and insecurity and I don’t think Cersei has any at all. She completely believes in every punch she hits. I don’t think Alicent is like that at all. She has been beaten by the patriarchal system she is in, by her children, constantly trying to do things right and walking such a straight and narrow line (between good and evil). She went under immense pressure. You can see Alicent exhausting herself all the time, while Cersei is strong and formidable at all times. “

Another of the most commented moments of the first season of ‘The house of the dragon’, not just for its epicity, but for the discomfort it transmits to the viewer, is the next scene of the ninth chapter. Alicent, intending to obtain information from Larys Strong about the traitors in his circle, He shows his feet to Larys as a reward and takes the opportunity to masturbate. It was a moment that went viral on social media. Who manipulates whom? The actress shared her point of view:

“He knows what Larys can do, how powerful he is and how he won’t stop killing his entire family to move forward to court. The dynamic changes slightly all the time in the scene. It probably carries more weight. It’s difficult, because he has no choice but to go to court. agree with many of the things he does. He needs the information. Eventually, he knows how he will get it. Not getting the information can lead to the death of Alicent, the usurpation of his position or the death of his children. I don’t think so. that all of this is taken lightly. It’s just an absolute necessity, unfortunately. I don’t think there is any manipulation. It’s just that he needs the information and that’s how he gets it. It’s disgusting, it’s degrading, it’s aggression. But it doesn’t really have more options. He surrounded himself with psychopaths and murderers. There is nowhere else to turn. Maybe he thought he could turn to Talia, but she turned out to be a spy. ” Cooke also revealed that this is the scene that bothers him the most in the entire series, more than the violent deaths, nudity or brothel scenes.

Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, each leading part of the war, have a common past as inseparable best friends. This friendship has dissipated over time, but you can still hear some traces of the love they had, something that can be played as a good asset in warfare. And this did Otto Hightower and the Alicent bannermen during their visit to Dragonstone. When Rhaenyra gives them the order to surrender, she is presented with a page that as a child Rhaenyra lovingly and playfully ripped from an Alicent history book. The leader of the greens used the past as a card, but it is not very clear if she did it with the intention of manipulating it or as a true act of peace. Cooke believes it wasn’t manipulation:

“I don’t think it was tampering at all. I really think he’s trying to do everything he can to smooth out the craters that are about to occur. You want as little bloodshed as possible. I think it is a sign of peace, not of manipulation. But he’s out of character and was set in motion by panic rather than direct thinking. I don’t think he realizes how offensive he can be. “

But if there was even the slightest chance that Rhaenyra was willing to seek peace, she died out with the murder of her son. In a tense chase scene, Lucerys and her little dragon fly through the skies and storms, intent on escaping Alicent’s son Aemond and her dragon, but just when it seems the danger has passed, the huge dragon of Aemond slays. and her dragon. The season ends with the mother finding out what happened and sharing a fierce look with the audience that makes it clear that she will show no mercy in a war that, no doubt, has already begun.

Family stuff

The relationship between Alicent Hightower and her father, Otto Hightower, progresses as she grows and becomes more confident. Otto, the former arm of the late King Viserys, used his daughter as a child for his own benefit, but Alicent has been through a lot and she is no longer so easily manipulated, by her father or anyone else. Her relationship with Otto, which is better or worse depending on the moment, will be important for the second season and Olivia Cooke talked about the kind of dynamic they will have compared to the first season:

“She is no longer the little girl who can just sell. She is a worthy confidant and an equal in this game of thrones. She has become incredibly formidable. She is incredibly proud of what she thinks she has created and shaped because, of course, these narcissistic parents have to take. He wouldn’t be so stupid as to undermine the power he might possess and the lengths he’ll do to protect his children. Likewise, I think there is distrust between them. Even though she knows that her father loves her, I don’t think he would save her if he had to choose between himself or her daughter, and Alicent knows it. “

“The House of the Dragon” has been renewed for a second season that will begin shooting in 2023 and will debut in 2024. The author of the books of this medieval fantasy universe, George RR Martin, believes that the ideal way to tell the story of the series is to make four seasons of ten episodes each.