OLIVIA COOKE
“Alicent’s got a very dark side to her, but she’s also just striving for what she thinks is good, even though it’s just misplaced… she truly begins to understand her role within her father’s life and how it hasn’t been the most loving or healthy relationship. She realises that she has power and influence, so what does alicent actually want deep down in her core? And what has been repressed all these years?”
ALSO KNOWN FOR
Ready Player One (2018)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
Sound of Metal (2019)
Thoroughbreds (2018)
Olivia Kate Cooke is an English actress who was born on the 27th of December, 1993 in Greater Manchester, England. Cooke is best known for her starring roles in the sci-fi film Ready Player One (2018) and the Oscar-winning drama Sound of Metal (2020), as well as playing Emma Decody in the A&E drama thriller series Bates Motel (2013–2017) and Becky Sharp in the period drama miniseries Vanity Fair (2018). She started acting when she was eight years old at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, an after-school drama programme in her hometown. She attended Royton and Crompton Academy and studied drama at Oldham Sixth Form College, leaving in 2012 before the end of her A-levels to appear in two BBC One drama miniseries: Blackout and The Secret of Crickley Hall.
In 2013, Cooke joined the cast of A&E's contemporary Psycho prequel Bates Motel, where she played the role of Emma Decody for it’s five season run. Cooke's second feature film The Signal, with Brenton Thwaites and Laurence Fishburne, opened at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Following this, she led the cast of Ouija, a horror film based on Hasbro's board game. She next appeared in the comedy-drama film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). For the coming-of-age tale by Jesse Andrews, who adapted the original novel for the film, Cooke shaved off her hair to play the female lead who battles leukaemia. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards. She then played the titular character in the independent drama film Katie Says Goodbye, alongside Jim Belushi, Mireille Enos, Christopher Abbott, and Mary Steenburgen, which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Cooke then starred in the thriller film Thoroughbreds, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Anton Yelchin, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
She later starred as Art3mis in Steven Spielberg's science fiction adventure Ready Player One, which was released in March 2018. Later that year, Cooke appeared alongside Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde and Samuel L. Jackson in Dan Fogelman's relationship drama film Life Itself and also played the lead character, Becky Sharp in the ITV production of Vanity Fair. Cooke starred in the drama film Sound of Metal, alongside Riz Ahmed. The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and later became a Best Picture nominee at the 93rd Academy Awards, also being nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. The film went on to win Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Also in 2019, Cooke appeared as Karla, pregnant homeless woman giving her baby up for adoption, in the Amazon Prime Video romantic comedy anthology series Modern Love. In the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, she then appears as MI5 agent Sidonie Baker. In 2022, Cooke will star in the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel fantasy series for HBO, House of the Dragon. Cooke will portray Alicent Hightower, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
SLOW HORSES
PIXIE
SOUND OF METAL
VANITY FAIR
READY PLAYER ONE
THOROUGHBREDS
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
BATES MOTEL
THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL
FILMOGRAPHY
2022 House of the Dragon (TV Series)
Queen Alicent Hightower (4 episodes)
2022 Slow Horses (TV Series)
Sidonie Baker (3 episodes)
2022 Fireheart
Georgia / Joe (voice)
2021 Naked Singularity
Lea
2020 Pixie
Pixie
2020 Little Fish
Emma
2019 Modern Love (TV Series)
Karla (2 episodes)
2019 Sound of Metal
Lou
2018 Vanity Fair (TV Mini Series)
Becky Sharp (7 episodes)
2018 Life Itself
Dylan
2018 Follow the Roses (Short)
Angie
2018 Ready Player One
Art3mis / Samantha
2013-2017 Bates Motel (TV Series)
Emma Decody (49 episodes)
2017 Thoroughbreds
Amanda
2016 Katie Says Goodbye
Katie
2016 The Limehouse Golem
Lizzie Cree
2015 Axe Cop (TV Series)
Loch Ness Monster (voice - 1 episode)
2015 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Rachel
2014 Ouija
Laine Morris
2014 The Quiet Ones
Jane Harper
2014 Ruby's Skin (Short)
Ruby
2014 The Signal
Haley
2012 The Secret of Crickley Hall (TV Mini Series)
Nancy Linnet
2012 Blackout (TV Mini Series)
Meg Demoys
