Olivia Cooke recently spoke to Deadline where she stated that although she doesn’t agree with some things that her character does in the show, she doesn’t intend to portray Alicent as the bad guy in House of the Dragon. “I never played her as a villain. I know she makes morally questionable decisions and her reactions can be quite uncouth, to say the least. But I have to believe in what she does in order to play her with absolute honesty and truth,” Cooke said.
She continued, “I really have to empathize with Alicent and know that she’s coming from a place of undying love and protection for her children.” Cooke also addressed how social media wants things to be straightforward with Alicent’s role in the series. “I think sometimes the internet discourse can be a bit too black and white. I read a tweet that I think summed it up really well: It’s not who’s good and evil, it’s who’s your favorite war criminal,” she said. Alicent might not be the nicest person in House of the Dragon but Cooke does have a point in stating that the woman loves her children. It’s similar to what Cersei Lannister stood for in Game of Thrones but we have yet to see if Alicent follows that route. Olivia Cooke returns as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 2.
