Olivia Cooke is now best known for her excellent portrayal of Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, but before that, her best role was in an underrated 2015 film. Before these projects joined the ranks of her best movies and shows, Cooke gained widespread recognition for her regular role as Emma Decody in the Psycho prequel series Bates Motel. She went on to appear in a variety of other films and series, including as Samantha/Art3mis in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One and as Sidonie “Sid” Baker in three episodes of Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed Slow Horses.

Cooke inherited a difficult task in House of the Dragon, stepping into the series to portray an older version of Alicent, who had been played by Emily Carey in previous episodes. Cooke seamlessly slid into the role and brought the older and wiser Alicent to life, imbuing her with emotional depth, inner turmoil, and a resilience that makes her a consistent highlight of the show. While each new episode continues to prove that Alicent is the best performance in Cooke’s career, this achievement used to belong to her role in a 2015 film with 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Olivia Cooke’s Best Performance Before House Of The Dragon Was In Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

Cooke’s Character Is The Heart Of The Movie

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is about an insecure teenager named Greg (Thomas Mann), his best friend Earl (RJ Cyler), and their classmate, Rachel (Cooke), who is diagnosed with leukemia. When Greg’s mom (Connie Britton) learns that Rachel has leukemia, she insists that Greg spend time with Rachel, even though they are only acquaintances and barely know each other. Rachel and Greg’s forced meeting sparks an unlikely and deeply moving friendship, as they bond and help each other in unpredictable ways.

As the titular dying girl, Cooke delivers an equally heartfelt, humorous, and vulnerable performance that serves as the heart of the movie. Rachel is a complex character who goes through a variety of experiences and attitudes throughout the film, including being blunt about her disdain for phoniness and amusing herself through the antics and shared jokes she shares with Greg and Earl, all while dealing with the effects of her diagnosis and chemotherapy. Cooke brings a sincerity to her performance that makes Rachel feel like an authentic teenager and a quick-witted individual, wise beyond her years.

How Me And Earl And The Dying Girl Prepared Olivia Cooke To Play Alicent Hightower

There Are Surprising Parallels Between Rachel And Alicent

While there are obviously significant differences between Rachel and Alicent, there are parallels between the two characters that arguably prepared Cooke to play her House of the Dragon role. Both Rachel and Alicent are wiser and more insightful than most other characters give them credit for, partly due to being younger, and in Alicent’s case, she is often underestimated simply because she is a woman in a patriarchal society. They are surrounded by many immature individuals, from Rachel’s high school peers to Alicent’s entitled sons Aegon and Aemond, along with the toxic and self-serving Criston Cole.

Between Rachel’s leukemia and the slew of tragedies that befall Alicent and her loved ones, Cooke’s characters deal with the injustice of having to put on a brave face while dealing with horrible circumstances. One of the key differences is that Rachel is more willing and able to be more honest with herself and others about uncomfortable truths, although there are moments where Alicent does this as well. Part of the reason Cooke’s performance in House of the Dragon is so exceptional is because of her stellar performance as Rachel in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

House of the Dragon

Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Seasons

2

Directors

Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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