“I’ve just turned 30 and I’m playing a grandma”: Olivia Cooke has complicated feelings about House of the Dragon age gaps

Being a part of a show like House of the Dragon has its merits and demerits. While the actors are shot to global stardom overnight, they may have some qualms as well about playing a certain type of role.

In a recent interview with The Times, actress Olivia Cooke spoke about her experience playing Alicent Hightower on House of the Dragon Season 2.

Also Read: “It was the biggest, fattest horse you’ve ever seen”: Olivia Cooke learns horseriding for House of the Dragon Season 2

Olivia Cooke talks playing a grandma at 30

Credits: Max

Olivia Cooke has amassed great roles in her career to date, from Steven Speilberg’s classic to Modern Love on Amazon Prime. However, she received widespread love and recognition via House of the Dragon where she plays Alicent Hightower. With Season 2 just around the corner, Cooke discussed what it was like playing a grandma at the age of 30. Earlier, she mentioned how the upcoming season has pushed her character into early retirement.

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“I have really complicated feelings towards it. If they can create dragons, they could have made me look younger — and then older. Or maybe they should have cast actors in their forties? It’s happened now and I’m grateful for the role, but I’ve just turned 30 and I’m playing a grandma. There is a real reticence to see women age on screen. A real reticence. And it’s hysterical to play. Because Tom is a year younger and I’m, like, ‘Son, come here! Come on to the bosom! It is a strange dynamic that I’m very aware of. But I also don’t want to slag off the show — it’s just something Emma [d’Arcy] and I have talked about a lot.”

Moreover, even the actor who plays Aegon II, Tom Glynn-Carney is also just a year older than her. Cooke also expressed how she wants to mitigate the aspect of women looking like models at red-carpet events.

Also Read: House of the Dragon’s Olivia Cooke thanks “all the gays and the women” for their support

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