House of the Dragon Star's Near Miss with Star Wars

Olivia Cooke, widely recognized for her portrayal of Queen Alicent Hightower in HBO's House of the Dragon, recently shared a surprising detail about her past acting career. Cooke revealed that she auditioned for the lead role of Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy's first film, The Force Awakens, a part ultimately given to Daisy Ridley.

During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cooke spoke candidly about her audition experience. She admitted to auditioning multiple times but described her performance as "really bad" and "sh*t." Cooke attributed her lack of success to not being the "kind of actor" suited for the role at that time, emphasizing that many aspiring actors had also auditioned for the highly sought-after character.

Despite missing out on the Star Wars opportunity, Cooke's career has seen significant success. She has appeared in other notable films, including Ready Player One. Her current role as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon has been described as a career-defining performance, showcasing her charisma and talent within the popular fantasy series.