House of the Dragon Star Olivia Cooke Addresses Alicent's Cersei Comparisons
After watching the first season of House of the Dragon, it's easy for some Game of Thrones fans to compare Alicent Hightower to Cersei Lannister. Both are queens who put their children above everything else, and often pull the strings of major events in Westeros from behind the Iron Throne. While they occupy similar positions, and sometimes exhibit similar behavior, the two couldn't be more different. At least, that's how House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke sees things.
Following House of the Dragon's Season 1 finale on Sunday, Cooke spoke with Variety about the action of the season, as well as her time playing Alicent so far. When asked about the Cersei comparisons, Cooke said that there are a lot more differences between the characters than people think.
"They'll always be compared. In online discourse, it tends to be more black and white of who's the hero and the villain," Cooke explained. "I do think they're really different, though, and I limited the amount of wine that I drank in scenes because I didn't want the comparison to be too transparent. What Lena Headey did with Cersei was so brilliant. She was one of my favorite characters, because even though she's so reviled, she's motivated by the enduring love for her children. In those parameters, they both will do anything for their children. But I think Alicent is run on anxiety and self-doubt a lot more, and I don't think Cersei has that at all. She completely believes in every blow she strikes. I don't think Alicent has that at all. She's been so beaten by the patriarchal system she's in, by her children, by trying to endlessly make things right and to walk such a narrow, straight line. She's put herself under such immense pressure. You can see Alicent fraying at the seams the whole time, whereas Cersei is so strong and formidable all the way through."
Is Alicent a Villain on House of the Dragon?
Nothing in House of the Dragon is black and white. It's easy to see Alicent as a villain, especially since she is working against Rhaenyra. She has done some terrible things over the course of the show, but she's also a character that people can empathize with. Alicent aims to protect her family more than she tries to gain control, and that's not exactly a villainous trait.
Over the course of the series, we'll see more and more layers added to Alicent Hightower, and she'll likely be both more and less of a villain than she is now.