Olivia Cooke has said hostility within the fandom surrounding HBO’s “House of the Dragon” helped push her away from social media before the third season arrived in June. Speaking to GQ, the actor, who portrays Queen Alicent Hightower in the “Game of Thrones” prequel, described encountering misogyny and racism among some fans.
Cooke said theories and opinions about the series can spread until they have little connection to what actually appeared on screen. Those discussions have also extended to the actor herself and her relationships with the show’s directors. She said the intensity of the fandom contributed to her decision to deactivate her Instagram account ahead of Season 3.
“There’s a lot of ugliness to that fandom as well,” Cooke told the magazine. “It’s steeped in misogyny. There’s a lot of racism.” She said she tries to give that hostility as little space in her thoughts as possible. Her character was involved in several contentious developments during the third season, including a kiss with her son that leads to a later incestuous daydream sequence.
Cooke’s co-star Milly Alcock has also faced hostility from a section of the audience. Some viewers set up comparisons between the younger cast members and the actors playing their adult counterparts. Series co-creator Ryan Condal called that response “horrible,” saying the young performers had accomplished something difficult and deserved to have the show’s success and reception celebrated.
Explaining her withdrawal from social media, Cooke said the experience had reached a point where it was “not nourishing.” She also questioned the expanding celebrity expectations attached to acting, describing the pressure around public visibility as something that had grown into a monster.
Cooke said television and film offer escapism while also being creative, artistic work. In her view, pursuing followers, brand deals or free products should not be the purpose of making them, although she acknowledged that those benefits can sometimes be welcome.
The interview also touched on Cooke’s working relationship with director Clare Kilner. Cooke praised Kilner’s treatment of the departments on set, saying her approach demonstrated that a director could lead with kindness and care without relying on displays of dominance.
“House of the Dragon” debuted on HBO in 2022. The series has received three Golden Globe nominations and won the award for best television drama. It has also earned 14 Emmy nominations and two wins, for fantasy and science fiction costumes in 2023 and for non-prosthetic period, fantasy or science fiction makeup in 2025.
