Emma DArcy and Olivia Cooke have been through a lot together.
With prosecco in it.
Oh, Stunnin!)
Photo: Ollie Upton / HBO
Meanwhile, their children, councillors and allies all seem hungry for warand ensure theres no turning back.
Vogue: Season 1 was such a hit.
Emma DArcy:I think stamina was a big worry going in.
Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen comforts her son Jacaerys (Harry Collett) in the first episode ofHouse of the DragonSeason 2.
Olivia Cooke:And remained a worry.
ED:The great lesson was…four episodes out of 10?
[Chefs kiss] Fantastic.
Olivia Cooke’s Alicent Hightower at prayer in the first episode ofHouse of the DragonSeason 2.
I was on top of my laundry.
It was an amazing time.
But it was very different this time [laughs].
Thats galvanizing in other ways, but certainly you have no choice but to have…
OC:Burnout.
[Both laugh.]
What were you most interested in exploring this time around?
OC:In terms of motivations and broad themes, for Alicent, its sort of about diminishing power.
And what does she do when she doesnt have agency or any semblance of autonomy within the castle?
And who is she if she cant shape the realm in the background?
That was really interesting.
ED:And for Rhaenyra, I think grief is a major engine in the narrative right now.
That was a key area of investigation for me, because grief manifests so differently in different people.
Was it fun to consider what they were doing in those gaps in the narrative?
OC:Its quite a treat for them, really, to do whatever they want with the characters.
Its very exciting stuff.
Did you get to talk to each other about that relationship at this stage in the story?
OC:I feel like Rhaenyra sneezes and Alicent catches a cold, you know?
Theres this ripple effect constantly back and forth.
Rhaenyra is this phantom to Alicent at this point.
ED:Theyre sort of haunting one another.
How did you two deal with that separation as actors?
OC:We barely saw each other.
ED:Just in the car park, like, Howre you doing?
OC:[Laughs.]
I missed you too!
Olivia Cookes Alicent Hightower at prayer in the first episode ofHouse of the DragonSeason 2.
Did you find one?
Did you find moments to decompress?
OC:We did our best.
Wed meet at the pubwed allocate days, because we were on such different schedules.
So, wed either meet in town or decide, okay, this Saturday were all going out.
We had a mid-season cast mixer.
Getting to have some eveningsthats important.
You both have some incredible scenes.
What were your favorite moments to film these days?
I love it there.
I want to live there.
OC:You should!
ED:I think about it a lot.
It was just amazingthe weather, the people, the locations.
I would have happily shot the rest of the job in north Wales.
OC:And for me, I got to leave the castle and go to Spain.
ED:Which you did ask for, in fairness.
OC:If you dont ask, you dont get.
They wrote it in and I hope it works for the plot [laughs].
I was in Spain for two weeks and that was nice.
ED:Alicents holiday journal.
OC:My vlog!
[Mimics speaking into a phone camera:] Here we are in Caceres… That medieval town isstunning.
For that to be your set every dayI felt incredibly grateful.
OC:Wemightmove away from green [laughs].
Maybe she goes to different shades of it?
Theres an evolution in the way Alicent looks.
So, the hair is really pared back right now, as if she does it herself.
I mean, I dont do it myselfits too hard.
ED:Because she was aged up, in a way, by marrying Viserys.
[The costume designer] Caroline [McCall] has done an extraordinary job.
Its as though its looking to historic shapes, almost like shes wearing the clothes of the previous generation.
In the context of having just lost her father, I find that very moving.
Its like shes aligning herself with him, but also its a sort of coupling with the past.
Shes aligned with the old Targaryen gods.
Theres almost a desire for small-c conservatism in this conjuring of the dead.
And shes discovering what kind of leader she is.
While these two women are urging caution, everyone else seems ready for war.
I agree with you that those scenes are hard to shootI find them so tiring.
So, you are literally de-voiced in a room of men.
And its interesting, right?
Those male characters are comfortable with power in a way that certainly Rhaenyra and also possibly Alicent are not.
Those men wear it without noticing.
Whats that been like?
And Olivia, have you been to see it yet?
ED:Its been great.
Its a very technical showwe were basically in tech for five, six weeks.
But, its been lovely.
Weve been open for about a month now.
It feels nicely worn in.
Its a really extraordinary collision of artists, so I could never have said no to it.
Plus, its my favourite color.
OC:And I havent seen it yet, but I need to go soon!
Season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonpremieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16.
