‘House of the Dragon’ star Olivia Cooke recalls struggles while filming ‘Bates Motel’

Olivia Cooke discusses her struggles before starring in the hit HBO series “House of the Dragon.”

The 28-year-old actress portrays Queen Alicent Hightower, King Viserys I Targaryen’s second wife. Olivia Cooke began her acting career in 2012 when she appeared in the television drama series “Blackout.”

She rose to prominence later in her career for her role as Emma Decody in the A&E network’s contemporary “Psycho” prequel, “Bates Motel.” The “House of the Dragon” star recalls her struggles while filming the horror drama television series in a recent interview with the Observer.

Cooke reflected on her time as Emma Decody in the series:

“I’m so grateful for that job, but I had a really tough time on it. The way the schedule worked, we all had different storylines, so a lot of my time was spent in this apartment in Vancouver, working once every two weeks.”

Furthermore, the 29-year-old actress stated that “32 is the new 22,” referring to her quarter-life crisis in her early twenties, which she would not willingly relive.

Furthermore, the “Ready Player One” actress mentions homesickness as one of her mental struggles while filming “Bates Motel.” Cooke, born in Greater Manchester, England, landed her first American role as Emma Decody after signing with an agent in Los Angeles.

She stated of her “full mental breakdown”:

“It was a big old lovely cocktail: being homesick and not knowing it, having not stopped since I was 18, being on my own for large swathes of time. It was bad, bad. Awful, actually.”

Cooke, who now plays Alicent Hightower on HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” describes her current situation as a “sweet spot” because she was able to return to London.

The fantasy series was shot entirely on Warner Brothers’ brand-new digital production stage in Watford, England.

Six of the ten episodes for the first season of “House of the Dragon” have been released. In addition, HBO has renewed the prequel series for a second season following its successful premiere, which drew more than 20 million viewers.