Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Cooke informed that showrunner Ryan Condal had taken the call to remove one of her intense sex scenes as it did not contribute to any kind of development for the characters.
House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke has spilled beans on a particular scene during the production of the show’s second season. In an interview with Elle magazine, Cooke shared her thoughts on a sex scene that she had filmed but ultimately, it did not make it into the final cut. This scene, according to Cooke, was quite intense and “animalistic.” She informed that showrunner Ryan Condal had taken the call to remove it as, for him, it did not contribute to any kind of development for the characters involved in it. Cooke herself, however, had a different perspective.
“It wasn’t beautiful, and that was really fun to do. I think Ryan said we weren’t learning any more about the characters, which I disagree with slightly, but it’s OK. It’s his show,” Cooke explained to Elle magazine.
Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, which is a prequel series to HBO’s popular Game of Thrones. As the second season is currently streaming, her character has been shown in various intimate scenes so far.
During the conversation, Cooke talked about the importance of these scenes in portraying her character’s experiences. “I thought there’d be way more,” Cooke said about the sex scenes in the show, keeping in mind the precedent set by Game of Thrones for frequent nudity. However, she added that it was a relief that her scenes were meaningful. “I’m relieved that when it has been used for me, it’s showing Alicent being pleasured, which is amazing and doesn’t feel gratuitous. It feels like we’re telling a story.”
Meanwhile, Cooke’s co-star, Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen, also talked about the sex scenes in the series. Smith recalled his initial reaction to the number of intimate scenes he was involved in during the first season. “You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’” he had shared in an interview with Rolling Stone UK, before the series premiered. He further said that the show’s creators believed these scenes were necessary to stay true to the source material. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time we’re living in?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written,” he reportedly said.
Season 2 of House of the Dragon started airing on June 16, 2024. It premieres new episodes on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
