Olivia Cooke affects an icy calm as the calculating Alicent Hightower on HBO’s “Games of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon,” whose third season premieres June 21.
But in real life, Cooke, 32, describes herself as less ruthless, more empathetic.
“I hope I take other people’s circumstances into account a bit more than she does,” the actress said in a video call from her home in London.
Cooke, who also gained acclaim for portraying Cherry, a wily real estate agent on Prime’s Video’s psychological drama “The Girlfriend,” has a full slate.
She’ll next play a woman whom Alden Ehrenreich’s character meets on a train in the crime thriller “Switzerland,” and a feminist foil to a lusty vampire’s matrimonial designs in the gothic horror thriller “Brides.”
“For two years there, I thought that I’d never work again,” Cooke said. “So it’s exciting to see it all coming out.”
She shared 10 of her must-have comfort items, among them her “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” mug, chocolate digestive biscuits and her trusty Shark fan. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
My Kindle
My therapist recommends a lot of books, and it’s so nice to have an apparatus where I can discreetly read these quite intense books and not scare people in the street. I just read “The Safekeep,” which was very beautiful. And then “The Director,” which is an incredible book about a director in Nazi Germany.
Chocolate Digestive Biscuits
There’s something that’s just so nostalgic and comforting about having a huge cup of tea, always with a side of biscuits. I have them every single day. I just went on holiday to Sicily and came back, and I’d lost loads of weight, even though I was like, wait, I actually ate so much on holiday. And it was because I wasn’t having half a pack of digestive biscuits every single day!
Friday-Night Guinness
Since my partner Ralph [Davis] and I got together a little over two years ago, we’ve made it a ritual that we take Friday night to decompress and chat about our week over a pint of Guinness at the pub around the corner. It’s just a way to take a big, deep breath and let go of whatever we’ve been holding onto.
My Fan
It’s driving a wedge between me and Ralph, because we both regulate our temperatures in very different ways: He’s cold; I’m roasting. Because U.K. houses are ill-equipped for hot weather — they’re built to retain heat — we have all been suffering. So I’m looking at the Shark fan in front of me with love and adoration, because it has allowed me to sleep.
My Nephew, Louie
When he was born at the tail end of 2020, it opened my eyes to how beautiful and pure and joyous having young children in the family can be. He’s a complete boy. He’s so energetic, so cheeky. Like, now he’s had his first year at school, all he does is roll his eyes and say “6-7” and “bruh.”
My ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Mug
I hate it when I go to a different country for work, and I’ve been put in a hotel or an apartment, and they just have teeny-weeny coffee mugs. So I just bring my own massive one and wrap it in a bunch of T-shirts so it doesn’t smash. My Stephen Colbert mug that I got from when I did his show is one of my favorites. It’s like a pacifier at this point.
European Pharmacies
They have really nice Italian and French brands that we sometimes can’t get in the U.K., or that are really expensive here. And all the pharmacists in Europe are so helpful. They’re just very tranquil places. It’s not like going into a CVS, where it’s like strip lighting. They’re very chic for some reason.
L’Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Hair Mask
My hair is very coarse, very dry, very curly, so I need to just shove as much moisture into it as possible. In the past, I’ve had chunks of hair falling out because of how processed it has been, so I’m now very diligent about hair health. I like a thick mask, and this is the best one I’ve used.
The National Theater
I couldn’t afford to see shows there when I was 17 and auditioning for drama schools in London, so I would just hang out at the Understudy, which is the bar that’s attached. I have such fond memories of meeting up with friends who were all on a similar journey. As I got older and started watching the shows there, I was not disappointed. It was as magical as I thought it would be.
My Mattress
It wasn’t particularly expensive. It’s been with me from living in New York to living all around London. I think my body is just molded to it — it’s like “The Princess and the Pea” now. Maybe it’s carcinogenic, and it’s going to give me an early death, but whatever. If I’m dead in the next five years, just assume that it’s my mattress.
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