House of the Dragon has jumped forward a decade yesterday, with two major casting changes. One of those changes is Alicent Hightower. Olivia Cooke is assuming the role originated by Emily Carey.

Olivia Cooke is playing the role of Alicent Hightower the daughter of the hand of the king, the wife of King Viserys, and the former best friend of Princess Rhaenyra.

Before HOTD, Olivia was best known for her role as Emma Decody in the A&E drama thriller series Bates Motel

Olivia is an English actress, who grew up in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. She started acting when she was 8 years old and went on to study drama at Oldham Sixth Form College. She currently lives in London.

Before breaking into movies, Cooke appeared in One Direction's Autumn Term tour video where she does things like look at books, point at things, ride a bike and get piggyback from Styles.