Olivia Cooke has criticised the “ugliness” of the House of the Dragon fandom, saying it is marked by misogyny, racism and fan theories that can bear little resemblance to what appears on screen.
Cooke, 32, plays Queen Alicent Hightower in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel. She spoke about the reaction to the series after deleting her Instagram account before its third season premiered in June.
“There’s a lot of ugliness to that fandom as well,” she said. “It’s steeped in misogyny. There’s a lot of racism. I try to let it take up minimal mental real estate.”
The actress also said that some fan interpretations and theories could “just catch fire”, eventually becoming “something that bears no resemblance to what was shown on screen at the time”.
Fans have developed elaborate theories about the characters, with some speculation extending beyond the fictional world of the programme to the actors and directors involved. Cooke’s character has featured in several controversial storylines, including kissing her own son and daydreaming about him.
Cooke said her social media use had reached a point where it was “not nourishing”, prompting her decision to step away from Instagram.
“I think the celebri-fied nature of being an actor has now snowballed into this monster,” she said. “And I just think we need to get off this train and realise that we make these TV shows and films, yes, for escapism, but also because it’s artful and it’s creative and it’s not for followers or for a brand deal or to get free s—. Even though that is nice sometimes.”
