Olivia Cooke: English Actress
Olivia Cooke can currently be seen starring as Alicent Hightower from Game of Thrones spinoff House of Dragon and Becky Sharp from ITV’s lavish adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Additionally, she can be found starring in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One as well as Sound of Metal films.
Cooke, born in Manchester and hailing from Lancashire, stands out as more than her broad Lancashire accent suggests; her acting has depth – be it horror (The Quiet Ones) or comedy (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl).
Olivia Cooke’s Biography
Bates Motel, an updated prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho, follows Norma and Norman Bates as they move into their mother’s White Pine Bay hotel. Created by Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, the series explores their formative years as well as their relationships. Starring Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore initially, alongside Cooke in season two.
The show’s inaugural season follows Norma as she deals with the aftermath of a local woman’s murder and subsequent arrest for it, leading to bail being set aside and later receiving unexpected visitors at her motel room, one who claims they saw Mrs. Bates through their bedroom window at home, leaving Norma disturbed and distancing herself from her further. Meanwhile, Sheriff Smith begins questioning Norma further over this murder while distancing himself further.
Season two of the series explores Norma’s attempts to flee town and her son’s increasingly volatile mental health issues. She becomes alarmed about an unknown man stalking them both and seeks the advice of a psychiatrist for help. Unfortunately, when she confronts bank manager Tom Fuller (Gregg Henry), who claims they encountered his ghost, she soon learns he has an extensive record of predatory lending practices that makes their encounter even more troubling.
Season three continues Norma’s struggle to maintain the integrity of her family business while her relationship with her son continues to unravel. As she becomes aware of his fragility and what lengths he will go to to protect himself, despite all her attempts at remaining in control, Norma discovers he has already begun planning their future together.
Highmore made an impressionable debut as Norman Bates in Bates Motel when its premiere aired in 2013. As an adaption of the classic psychological thriller, his performance as an unhinged serial killer earned many awards. When the show ended its five-year run in 2017, Highmore swiftly transitioned over to The Good Doctor where he plays Dr. Ben Dultgen – another iconic role he held.
Olivia Cooke in Vanity Fair
Olivia Cooke does not come equipped with the kind of resume that makes casting her easy in Vanity Fair, despite her striking eyes being cinematographer-approved. On paper, nothing in her CV suggested she had the right personality or temperament for playing Becky Sharp, the orphaned minx she portrays in Amazon’s new adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1848 novel which premieres December 21. Luckily those hiring saw past any possible stereotypes and cast Cooke in her role.
Cooke has great empathy for Becky despite her humble origins, as she climbs through society as a self-serving schemer in 19th-century society. “She hungers for more, pursues status, and wants celebrity and wealth,” Cooke observes of Becky. Society places limits upon her, making life harder; modern audiences should relate to the struggles she goes through.
The seven-episode series offers an engaging satire of English society during the Napoleonic Wars through one of literature’s most memorable characters, Becky Sharp. While initially, Becky seems like an ideal protagonist, as time progresses it’s revealed she has many flaws; Thackeray intended this work to be a “novel without hero”, giving audiences something close to misanthropic pleasure in seeing so many imperfect individuals at play in his narrative.
Vanity Fair is full of memorable moments showcasing the thrill and naivete of taking risks to achieve success, whether through its heroine’s innocence or recklessness. “It’s about pushing yourself further, being daring and willing to step outside your comfort zone,” notes Cooke. “Take a chance on yourself; you might just be amazed at what can be accomplished!
Cooke will next appear in Gary Oldman’s spy thriller Slow Horses alongside Nicola Peltz and will also appear in Thoroughbred and Ready Player One by Steven Spielberg. Represented by CAA, Cooke hopes to start her own production company as part of a younger generation that wants a voice in shaping screen stories.
Olivia Cooke in Ready Player One
In 2045, humanity is on the brink of collapse and most people seek shelter within a virtual reality simulation known as the OASIS. When its creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), dies, his immense fortune is left to whoever finds a digital Easter egg hidden deep within its universe first – poverty-stricken Wade Wates (Tye Sheridan) struggles alongside millions of others to win, such as Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and H (Lena Waithe). However, Innovation Online Industries plans on taking control of this virtual universe.
Steven Spielberg directed and co-wrote Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One film adaptation, which stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Simon Pegg, and T.J. Miller. It premiered at South by Southwest 2018 before hitting theaters worldwide on March 29, 2018. Critical responses to this production were generally favorable – critics lauding Spielberg’s direction, visual effects, and Sheridan/Rylance’s performances among them.
Since releasing his debut novel Ready Player One last year in hardcover form, author Ernest Cline has received feedback from young readers who identify with its story and characters. Cline believes this may be due to growing up with high-tech gadgets and video games being an everyday part of life for them; also noting that readers of Ready Player One may never have known life before cell phones and the Internet existed.
Cline included many pop culture references in her novel, and its movie adaptation made good use of them. Action scenes are fast-paced and exciting, while its soundtrack boasts classic hits from the 1980s. Unfortunately, however, the film had some flaws; for example, Parzival didn’t count to three before throwing his Holy Hand Grenade (as depicted by Monty Python and the Holy Grail).
Olivia Cooke has made appearances in several films and television shows, such as Bates Motel, Vanity Fair, and House of Cards – she will next be seen in The Long Way Home as she is represented by WME/Istage Management Company Interscope.
Olivia Cooke in Sound of Metal
Olivia Cooke is an award-winning British actress best known for her roles as Emma Decody on Bates Motel and Alicent Hightower in the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon. Additionally, she has made appearances in numerous English TV miniseries and films, such as Ouija (Horror Film), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl comedy-drama, and Thoroughbreds drama series. Cooke was born in Oldham near Greater Manchester England to non-performing parents. At eight years old, she took part in Oldham Theatre Workshop’s drama program to launch her acting career and embarked on her acting career path.
Sound of Metal is an emotive tale about deafness and addiction, beautifully told through Riz Ahmed’s performance as Ruben, an up-and-coming heavy metal musician whose hearing begins deteriorating before eventually succumbing to drug addiction. It explores how music impacts someone’s life directly; an act for which this film should be recognized.
Beginning with an intense opening scene of Ruben losing his hearing and being met by Lou with both love and despair, as we see tattoos covering his body that speaks of both addiction and deafness, we quickly reach the heart of Darius Marder and Abraham Cianfrance’s film which tells an epic tale about extreme self-loathing and survival – making this must-see viewing for fans of heavy metal music and those suffering from hearing loss alike.
Ruben is not one for socializing easily, yet nonetheless makes an effort to connect with those in his community. He finds work teaching deaf kids and his journey from confusion to acceptance is truly impressive. Scenes showing him using sign language with students and hearing aids make this movie particularly impactful for viewers. It has made an incredible impactful statement about life for someone living with hearing loss.
