'House of the Dragon': Olivia Cooke Talks Alicent and Rhaenyra Feud, Taking Over as Queen in Show's Time Jump

Game of Thrones was so sprawling that viewers had trouble remembering all the characters, many of whom didn’t meet until the final seasons, concerns itself with just the Targaryen family and those who marry into it. Like the Roys of Succession, the players here are vying to be the favorite at the moment their king, Viserys, finally dies, so they can inherit his title and powers. And the central conflict comes down to two former best friends: Rhaenyra, the king’s daughter and eldest child, named by him as his heir, and Alicent, the king’s second wife, mother to his only sons. Rhaenyra is by far the more likable of the two.

HBO has released a trailer for the latest episode of House Of The Dragon, setting up what looks to be a dramatic conclusion to the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel.In the episode eight trailer, which you can watch below, we can see that the story has been thrust even further into the future with a second time jump, with Aegon, Aemond and Rhaenyra Targaryen’s sons all being recast with older actors.The first time jump came in episode six, with Emma d’Arcy and Olivia Cooke taking over as the adult versions of Rhaenyra and young Alicent. The two characters had previously been played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, respectively.Elsewhere in the trailer, we see Rhaenys sat upon the throne at Driftmark in the absence of her severely injured husband, Lord Corlys Velaryon aka The Sea Snake.In a voiceover, Matt Smith’s character Daemon remarks: “The Sea Snake has taken a grave wound in battle in the Stepstones.”Another character later adds: “Who will take the Driftwood throne?” suggesting Rhaenys’ time upon it could be short-lived.After seeing Daemon get his hands on a precious dragon egg, the trailer then ends on an ominous note, with Rhys Ifans’ Otto Hightower warning: “The threat of war looms.”You can watch the trailer below.Last week, Game Of Thrones author George R.R.

Olivia Cooke has revealed that she went through a mental breakdown when she was just 22.

Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has said that “the best is yet to come” on the spin-off series House Of The Dragon.The writer has reflected on the first half of the show’s debut season in his blog, and referenced how Milly Alcock and Emily Carey have now finished playing younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent respectively (Emma d’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over the roles in the most recent episode).“The show opened strong and has only been getting stronger,” Martin wrote. “Milly Alcock and Emily Carey were incredible as young Rhaenyra and young Alicent, were they not?“With Sunday’s episode, Emma d’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over as the adult versions of the characters.

Selome Hailu Viewership of “House of the Dragon” Episode 6 drew 3% more viewers than Episode 5, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is now seeing steady bumps with each installation; Episode 6 marks its third consecutive week of growth. (Episodes 4 showed a 5% increase and Episode 5 showed a 3% increase, as exclusively reported by Variety.) The calculation of these increases account for both cable viewership across four airings on HBO on Sunday, as recorded by Nielsen, and viewers across HBO Max and other HBO platforms through the night. The specific count of people who watched “House of the Dragon” Episode 6 has not been disclosed by Warner Bros. Discovery, though Variety was able to confirm the percent increase in viewership. Additionally, as of Sept. 20, Season 1 was seeing an average of 29 million viewers per episode, a significant feat for any cable series, even with the help of streaming.

EXCLUSIVE: There is another change in the executive producer ranks of HBO’s House of the Dragon. Jocelyn Diaz will not be returning to the Game Of Thrones sequel as it is headed into its second season. Sources said she had a one-year deal with an option for a second, which is not being picked up.

House of the Dragon fans who grew fond of Milly Alcock’s young Princess Rhaenyra and Emily Carey’s young Alicent Hightower didn’t seem to suffer from too much whiplash Sunday after seeing them replaced by older actresses Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

Emily Carey and Milly Alcock kicked off the first season of House of The Dragon as Alicent and Rhaenyra, and after just appearing in a handful of episodes.

[Warning: Spoilers for “House of the Dragon” season 1, episode six, which is aptly titled “The Princess and the Queen”.]

SPOILER ALERT: Contains details from Episode 6 of “House of the Dragon,” airing Sunday, Sept. 25, on HBO and HBO Max.Episode 6 of “House of the Dragon” introduces a dramatic 10-year time jump. After a decade, expect a lot of changes: For starters, Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent are portrayed by new actresses; the former is now played by Emma D’Arcy instead of Milly Alcock; the latter by Olivia Cooke instead of Emily Carey. Alicent’s kids, who we last saw as babies and toddlers, are now bratty teenagers.

“House of the Dragon” just revealed that Larys Strong is climbing it. SPOILER ALERT: Contains details from Episode 6 of “House of the Dragon,” airing Sunday, Sept. 25, on HBO and HBO Max.Episode 6 of “House of the Dragon” introduced a dramatic, decadelong time jump. After 10 years, we can expect a lot of changes.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in the first six episodes of “House of the Dragon,” currently airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. If one of the big narrative challenges of “Game of Thrones” was managing the geographical sprawl of its many interweaving storylines, the challenge for the first season of its prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” is stretching the story of the civil war within the Targaryen family over multiple decades. George R.R. Martin’s bestselling book about the conflagration, “Fire & Blood,” spans generations — children are born and grow into adulthood within the two warring factions of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her former best friend turned stepmother, Queen Alicent Hightower.

, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke finally made their debut as older versions of Prince Rhaenyra Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower, respectively. The two stars take over the roles originated by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey after the prequel series jumped forward 10 years in episode six. And it’s safe to say that the relationship between the former best friends is as complicated as ever as family in-fighting and politicking for the Iron Throne continues to drive a massive wedge between them.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Cooke said that she showed up to film the hit “Game of Thrones” prequel series with a killer hangover and even a “chipped tooth,” following a night out drinking with comedian Alan Carr. “It was amazing and I was very hungover. Really bad. I never do that,” Cooke said.

House Of The Dragon stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke have teased how their characters Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower have changed in the transition to adulthood.In the sixth episode of the Game Of Thrones prequel, set to premiere on Sunday on HBO, the show will jump forward a decade with D’Arcy and Cooke in the roles of Rhaenyra and Alicent, previously played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey respectively.Speaking to NME about if the characters have changed over 10 years, Cooke said: “They have changed a lot. Think about yourself when you were 18, it feels like such a far away, different person.

Olivia Cooke sits with Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday (September 19).