House of the Dragon Star Addresses Fan Backlash to Their Character

The first season of House of the Dragon took place over a long period, meaning two actors played some of the show's main characters. When Olivia Cooke stepped into the role of Queen Alicent, the character had already been married to her best friend's father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine). The tension between Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy, formally Milly Alcock) was deep and the season ended with them as enemies. Despite some attempts to be friends, Alicent and her sons ultimately betrayed Rhaenyra in order to usurp her throne. While some would say Alicent was a victim of circumstance, others consider her the villain. During a recent interview with The Wrap's UnWrapped Podcast, Cooke addressed the backlash to her character. 

"If you did dislike my character, that's so fine," Cooke explained. "I don't want to play characters that have to be liked universally. That's sort of like the beauty of what we do, everyone is so moved and projects so much stuff in so many different ways. I am fully aware that Alicent is a bit like Marmite. I had it last night at the pub, some woman came up to me and was like, 'You're the girl in House of the Dragon, your character is such a C-word.' I just gotta be like, 'Ohhhh, okay, thanks, have a good night!'"

She continued, "You're making people feel and I guess there's some sort of impact that the story and the arc is pushing through. I'm able to sort of compartmentalize and put that experience away, even though it's sort of opened back up and we're shooting Season 2. I'm learning to have a bit more of a rhino skin, so I don't really take it personally. I know she's not the heroine. I went into that knowing that she's a very flawed person, and she's full of all these different complexities."

Does Emily Carey Think Queen Alicent Is a Villain?

Before Oliva Cooke took over the role of Queen Alicent, she was played by Emily Carey, who defended their character in an interview with Variety.

"Marrying Viserys is a choice. But it was never her choice to make. The choice was made by the men around her. The amount of misogyny that Rhaenyra faces, Alicent gets just as much," the actor explained. "I read the books. In the future, she does make some questionable choices – let's put it that way," she added with a laugh. "But that's not the adolescent that I play. I'm playing her in the beginning of her life. The 'villain origin story,' in quotation marks, because I personally don't believe the Alicent that I play is a villain." They continued, "What's so heartbreaking about this whole situation is these two young women, neither of them are in control at any time. Their lives are basically being dictated by their fathers." 

How do you feel about Alicent? Tell us in the comments!