Olivia Cooke still has a tough time with the age gap between her “House of the Dragon” character and her children.
While talking on the most recent episode of “Happy Sad Confused,” Cooke was asked about playing Alicent Hightower and how she is technically a grandmother in the show, despite the actors playing her sons only being a few years younger than her.
“When I found out that Tom Glynn-Carney was auditioning for my son, I was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘Are they going to recast Alicent again and do another age jump? How’s this going to work,’” Cooke said.
She added about the age gap: “I think spiritually me and Tom are related. It’s odd, isn’t it? I feel many things about it. I feel like, ‘God, is this just the industry? Is this just Hollywood? They don’t want to see women age, you know?’ I think it’s a big leap for the audience to make. Or maybe I’m just a fantastic actor.”
Glynn-Carney plays Aegon Targaryen and is 31-years-old in real life. Ewan Mitchell – who plays Alicent’s equally problematic son Aemond – is 29. Cooke is 32.
This is not the first time Cooke has brought up the ridiculously small age gap in real life compared to the implied one in the world of the show. Back when the second season of “House of the Dragon” was releasing in 2024, she spoke with The Times about playing a grandma.
“If they can create dragons, they could have made me look younger – and then older,” she said. “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.”
The third season of “House of the Dragon” is now airing on HBO.
