The rise and rise of Olivia Cooke

BREAKING NEWS: Olivia Cooke is not a fan of Negroni Suvariato. “Emma [D’Arcy, the actor] I made it a while ago and didn’t like it,” she says with a frown. “I prefer plain Negroni.”

In case you missed it, Cook’s video clip in October House of the Dragon Co-star Darcy went viral by discussing her drink of choice with her. Darcy explained that they were “negroni with prosecco… sbagliato…” to which Cook replied, “Oh, great.”

Not to mention the negroni sbagliato meme on TikTok with 63.4 million views. Reese not to mention her Witherspoon and Laura Dern posted a video of them trying them out last week. Cook is perplexed by the reaction. “I had never heard of it. And now the world has ended twice,” she says, pushing her curly brown hair out of her eyes. “I went to a pub the other day and a Spanish girl opened the door and said, ‘Wow!'”

It’s no surprise that the clip was extremely popular. Not only is Cook instantly likable, charming and funny, but this has also been a hugely successful year for her after appearing (with Darcy) on the biggest TV show of 2022. House of the DragonHBO Game of Thrones The spin-off set was set 200 years ago, premiered in August, and reportedly averaged 29 million viewers per episode for its first five installments.

Cook plays Queen Aricent Hightower later in the series (Emily Carey begins as a teenage iteration). She appears from episode 6 onwards as the wife of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), and the stepmother and former best friend of Princess Rhaenerya Targaryen (D’Arcy). She admits that even after working in the industry for 10 years, she was shocked by the attention she received.

“Definitely not,” she explains. “When my episode aired, I was exposed to instant visibility like I had never experienced while walking down the street. So I think he did it on purpose.”

Internet reaction is enthusiastic. ” Game of Thrones The fans were so loud that it was hard to block our ears and eyes,” says Cook. “It’s like a school playground. I want to know what people are saying about me and what they’ve been saying about me.” I was looking for comments on “I did that the first time, and I was like, ‘Damn,'” she says. It’s mad because it’s about this fantasy version of me People talk about you like they know you, which is so weird All you can do is be as real as possible .”

Cook grew up in Oldham, Greater Manchester and has been working in the industry since he was 18. She was always interested in acting and she used to audition for drama school. “But I didn’t know anyone who was an actor, so it didn’t feel like a viable option. CollieWith this accent, using soap felt like the only option. I didn’t want to commit to anything forever. ”

By chance, she was spotted by a casting director who gave her a small role as Christopher Eccleston’s daughter in a BBC miniseries. blackoutShe has had roles in various projects from movies to metal sound, Romantic comedy series starring Riz Ahmed modern love – Her episode was opposite Andrew Scott. She landed the role of Aricent in October 2020.

shooting of House of the Dragon It took place over a period of 10 months, mainly at Warner Bros.’ digital production stage in Watford. She admits it was an intense process. “There are a lot of scenes that take two weeks to shoot, and they require mental stamina that I have never experienced before,” she says. Ask her how she relaxed at the end of each day. “There’s really no time to decompress,” she says.

‘The decompression is in the car on the way home from Watford. Emma and I have said we need to find a local pub. I’m surprised the bar isn’t open, not drinking, just relaxing before taking it home, you want a break from the show.

Thankfully, the energy of co-stars such as Rhys Ifans, who plays the complex Otto Hightower father, kept everyone going. was,” she says. “He’s a very naughty boy and has a great ability to be as serious and stoic as possible, but he’s an absolute mess for the rest of the cast.

“It’s very important to have someone like that on set who is a disruptor. It keeps you on your toes and makes coming to work a pleasure. Just before the take I said something like “Oi Tinder Swindler!” Or, “Hey, Justin Bieber!” I was suddenly in the mood to tell him, ‘Don’t kill Rhaenerya’. ”

Cook also spent six weeks filming the 2022 breast milk Albany, NY, across from Hilary Swank. The film follows a journalist who allies with his son’s pregnant girlfriend to find the killer. In the spring she will begin her second shoot. House of the Dragon series, but it won’t air until 2024. “I’m still waiting for the script,” she explains. “We know roughly what the books are about, but we don’t know exactly what part of history they are in. This time we will be going to different parts of England. Also Spain, maybe Portugal. is”

For Cook, it’s important to work on as diverse a set of projects as possible. “I don’t want to repeat myself,” she says. “I always want to challenge myself in any role so that I can feel that eroticism for the rest of my life. We pursue it until we find it again.”

Alongside her filmed projects, Cook was signed as an ambassador for royal jewelery brand Garrard in October. That same month, she released her first lingerie campaign for Savage x Fenty, but her experience didn’t quite fit into her comfort zone. “I looked like that for her six hours in her 28 years on Earth,” she says. “I’m not a muscular girl, I’m conscious of my butt, thighs and stomach. But looking at those pictures, I’m like, oh my god. I look so strong and capable and feminine.” I was so nervous, but there was a DJ on set and everyone was raving about it.I’ve never felt so good in my life.It was like my wedding day.”

For now, Cook is looking forward to his break so he can watch a lot of TV (white lotus is my favourite) and generally relax. He will spend Christmas at his home in Manchester with his family and will return to London in time for his 29th birthday on December 27th. “Now that she’s a year older, she wakes up in her bedroom in her childhood,” she says with a smile. But before she leaves, she wants “Christmas her pint” with Effans and tonight Darcy and Millie are going out to dinner with her Alcock. (“We all get along very well,” she says. House of the Dragon cast.)

For all the challenges her sudden fame brought, she still thinks the show’s success is worth celebrating. But this has surpassed all our expectations,” she says. “Now we are feeling the pressure of Season 2…”

Josh Shiner

Josh Shiner

photographer Josh Shiner

styling Rosie Urkel-Palmer

hair Ken O’Rourke

make up Alex Babsky

nail michelle class

fashion assistant Hannah Akande

executive digital editor Sarah Kalmari