Olivia Cooke saw herself become a household name after her success with Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, and the adaptation of Ernest Cline’s groundbreaking love-letter to 80’s pop culture. Cooke currently stars in Season 2 of House of the Dragon, reprising her role as Alicent Hightower the wife of the late Viserys I Targaryen.
However, when Cooke was on the set of Ready Player One, the actress was still a relative newcomer in the industry, with the Spielberg-helmed project being her first big gig, the actress had the opportunity to meet a slew of celebrities who were close to Spielberg, given how well connected the director was thanks to his standing in the industry.
Olivia Cooke met Tom Cruise, and she reported that there was no chemistry between them
When you are on a Spielberg set, it is expected that his friends from the industry will make appearances on set. Olivia Cooke, speaking with Stephen Colbert, revealed how she met with the Top Gun alum on the set of Ready Player One. She revealed:
I hear Steven go, ‘Olivia, come meet my good friend Tom Cruise.’ And I blacked out. I blacked out. I completely blacked out. Apparently, my friend ran to the top of the stage to watch this interaction and apparently, I bowed, like a servant. Like, boobs to knee, bowed, shook his hand and then came to.
When asked by Colbert if she felt there was any chemistry between her and the star, she said:
I don’t think so. I think it was void, void, void of chemistry.
The star would meet other actors on Steven Spielberg‘s set, and land her next big role in HBO’s House of the Dragon, leading the Greens, the incumbent rulers of Westeros against Viserys Targaryens elder daughter, and brother, Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen, called the Blacks.
House of the Dragon Season 2 will see the Blacks and Greens go all out against each other
House of the Dragon Season 2 will officially begin airing on June 16th, 2024, finally focusing on the conflict as it enters into its meatiest parts. With first blood going to the Greens (albeit accidentally), the death of Lucerys at the hands of Aemond’s rogue dragon Vhagar, not only left Rhaenyra enraged at the end of Season 1 but also set up the conflict to escalate exponentially as we enter Season 2.
Alicent Hightower, the dowager queen of the Seven Kingdoms, will be actively plotting to protect her family from Rhaenyra and her faction, as not only does the character see Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra as the usurper, but she probably lays the blame for the death of Lucerys at her feet as well, given that she sees the latter as being the unreasonable one. On the other hand, Rhaenyra Targaryen will be out to usurp her half-brother in a bid to avenge her son and assume the throne of the Seven Kingdoms.
House of the Dragon Season 2 begins streaming on June 16th, 2024, on HBO Max.
