House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke took herself off social media as a result of “ugliness” in the fanbase of the Game of Thrones prequel series.
Olivia Cooke deactivated her social media accounts due to “ugliness” in the House of the Dragon fanbase.
The 32-year-old actress plays Alicent Hightower in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series and has an uneasy relationship with the show’s passionate fanbase.
Olivia told GQ: “I think some of the interpretations just catch fire, and they become something that bears no resemblance to what was shown on the screen at the time.
“There’s a lot of ugliness to that fandom as well. It’s steeped in misogyny. There’s a lot of racism. I try to let it take up minimal mental real estate.”
Cooke decided to take herself off social media before the third season of House of the Dragon started airing in June as she found that it was detrimental to her wellbeing.
The Girlfriend star recalled: “I was just like, I’m on this too much. It’s not nourishing.
“I think the celebri-fied nature of being an actor has now snowballed into this monster. 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 creative and it’s not for followers or for a brand deal or to get free s***. Even though that is nice sometimes.”
Olivia previously described how she quit Instagram because she doesn’t like the way it “distorts your mental image of your body and your self”.
She told The Guardian newspaper earlier this year: “I was sick of seeing 21-year-old looksmaxxers being like: ‘If you follow a program, this is what you can do’, and it’s a side-by-side picture of him at 14, going through puberty, and him now, saying, ‘Look at the transformation.’
“It’s a lot. It’s very navel-gazy, and it distorts your mental image of your body and your self. And I think that has trickled into our industry, as well.”
Stepping away from social media hasn’t helped Cooke escape criticism completely, as she often receives “vitriolic” comments about her character when she is stopped for pictures by House of the Dragon fans.
The Slow Horses star said: “It can be quite vitriolic at times. I don’t want this to come across as ‘Woe is me’, because I’m very grateful for the job, but to field insults when you’re just walking down the street …
“They want a picture with you, then afterwards, they’ll say, ‘I f****** hate your character, by the way,’ or, ‘Your character’s a ****.’
“I sort of laugh and say, ‘Well, you can delete that picture.’
“I don’t know what you can do. I just try and take it in my stride.”
Olivia Cooke deactivated social media due to ‘ugliness’ in House of the Dragon fanbase
