Olivia Cooke has opened up about auditioning for Game Of Thrones spin-off series House Of The Dragon, admitting she had never seen the original series beforehand.
The actress was announced to be playing the role of Alicent Hightower in the prequel series back in December, though has revealed she wasn’t familiar with George RR Martin’s world beforehand.
- READ MORE: ‘Game Of Thrones’ prequel: title, release date, cast, rumours and everything we know so far
“When I read the script, I hadn’t seen any Game Of Thrones,” Cooke told Variety. “But then I binged it and now I’m obsessed.”
Recalling the audition process, she added: “I had to do so many self-tapes. I was on hold for ages.”
However, once she landed the role, the actress was sworn to secrecy, explaining that she had to divert suspicions: “People would ask, ‘What’s up for you next?’ and I’d have to be like, ‘Nothing.’”
Cooke added of her costume: “I’ve had one sort of preliminary fitting when they just draped some fabric on me but that was it.”
The star’s character is “the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.”
House Of The Dragon has also cast Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, while Paddy Considine will play the lead role of King Viserys Targaryen.
The series will be based on Martin’s companion novel Fire & Blood, which follows the rise of House Targaryen 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.
Meanwhile, HBO has teased that more spin-offs may be in the works, with programming president Casey Bloys comparing Game Of Thrones to Star Wars and Marvel.
“Those are fantastic properties that are decades and decades old,” he said. “I don’t know that it would get that big, but certainly it is a great resource that we have and an amazing world. So I don’t think it’s just going to be the one [show] for the rest of its life.”
House of the Dragon is set to land on HBO in 2022.
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