House of the Dragon’s Olivia Cooke says she filmed ‘animalistic’ sex scene that got cut from new series

The show is already known for it's 'anything goes' approach to nudity and sex.

Cooke, who plays Queen Alicent Hightower in the series, described the steamy scene to Elle and admits she expected there to be more sex scenes when she signed on to the show.

"It was messy as fuck," she said, regarding the cut scene. "It wasn’t beautiful, and that was really fun to do.

"I think Ryan [Condal, the showrunner] said we weren’t learning any more about the characters, which I disagree with slightly, but it’s okay. It’s his show."

Queen Alicent has a very intimate and physical relationship with a knight by the name of Ser Criston Cole (played by Frabien Frankel), so much so that her first appearance in episode one of season two shows Cole performing a sex act on her.

"I thought there’d be way more, and so 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," she added. "It feels like we’re telling a story."

Cooke also used the opportunity to gush about her so-star Emma Darcy, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spin-off.

Darcy echoed this sentiment in the same interview, when she opened up over the phone to journalist Erica Gonzales about her bond with her on-screen rival.

"It’s funny to talk about a friendship that is so fundamental in your life. The thing I find strange is to realize that I suppose we haven’t known each other that long in broad terms, but she’s a pillar in my life," Darcy added. "I would have found this a challenging experience if Liv was not on it."

While the Oldham-born actress certainly isn't a new kid on the block, having starred in popular series such as Bates Motel, the period drama Vanity Fair, and the 2018 science fiction blockbuster Ready Player One, joining the Game of Thrones beast and becoming exposed to it's intense fan base was like stepping into a whole new universe.

"I was aware of what happened to people who were on Game of Thrones and how they [became] so recognizable everywhere," Cooke says.

"I don’t know the ins and outs of how their lives had changed, but they were so visible. [I was] just really nervous that I would feel watched or followed....I was worried about having lots of eyes on me, but it’s actually been okay. It sort of ramps up when the show comes out, and things just die back down again."

The second episode of the subsequent season of House of the Dragon will air on Sky Atlantic on Sunday 23rd June at 9pm.

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