Olivia Cooke Net Worth

Olivia Cooke is an English actress who recently became famous for portraying Alicent Hightower in the hit HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon. She first gained attention for her starring role on Bates Motel and appeared in the miniseries Vanity Fair. 

With her newfound stardom from House of the Dragon, her net worth has substantially increased, though exact estimates vary.

In this article, we look closer at Cooke’s acting career, discuss her current net worth valuations, and provide more background on her critically praised performance as the complex Alicent in House of the Dragon as she reprises the role in the second season.

Olivia Cooke’s net worth and early career

In 2023, Cooke has over a decade of acting experience at 29 years old. Her net worth sits at an estimated $2 million, which seems likely to grow with her starring role as Alicent Hightower on House of the Dragon.

Early in her career, Cooke starred in several British television productions, like Blackout and The Secret of Crickley Hall in 2012. 

Her most notable American role came when she landed the part of Emma Decody on A&E’s Bates Motel in 2013, acting alongside Freddie Highmore. Though new to Hollywood, Cooke quickly proved her talent, earning high praise for her performance. 

Olivia Cooke at the 76th BAFTA Awards (Source: CelebsFirst)

After Bates Motel, she started transitioning into film as well. She co-starred in the 2014 thriller The Signal. She led the cast of the supernatural horror movie Ouija, a box-office success. 

Even in the early stages of her career, she continuously impressed with her steady, skillful performances. 

Though details on endorsements aren’t available, the HBO prequel series has brought Cooke to new heights of fame. As she continues captivating viewers, her salary and net worth will surely rise in tandem over the coming years.

Olivia Cooke broke through with ‘Me and Earl and The Dying Girl’

Cooke’s breakout role came in 2015 when she starred as Rachel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a teenage girl battling leukemia, in the comedy-drama film of the same name. She dramatically transformed her appearance by shaving her head to prepare for the role.

The film was a smash hit at the Sundance Film Festival, taking home both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. Critics universally praised Cooke’s emotional and grounded performance as the dying Rachel. 

Her bald head highlighted the authenticity and raw emotion she brought to the challenging role.

Olivia Cooke in ‘Me and Earl and The Dying Girl’ (Source: We Live Entertainment)

After Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Cooke’s career took off. In 2016, she played challenging lead roles in the dramas Katie Says Goodbye and The Limehouse Golem. 

She continued impressing in thrillers like Thoroughbreds and blockbusters like Ready Player One. But her turn in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl first signaled Cooke’s immense talent. 

Her willingness to shave her head and deliver such a vulnerable performance announced her as a serious dramatic actress. 

Her breakout role brought her widespread acclaim and set her on a path toward more complex, demanding parts that she could get to life with incredible skill. After that stellar breakout, the sky was the limit for Cooke’s career.

Olivia Cooke plays Aliicent Hightower in “The House of the Dragons”

In the HBO fantasy drama House of the Dragon, set years before the events of Game of Thrones, Cooke stars as the ambitious and complex Alicent Hightower. 

As the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, Alicent grows up amongst the Targaryen royal family in the Red Keep. 

Initially close friends with the heir to the throne, Princess Rhaenyra, their relationship grows strained and adversarial after Alicent marries King Viserys I and gives birth to male heirs. 

As tensions rise over the succession, Alicent begins plotting to have her eldest son, Aegon II, crowned instead of the named successor, Rhaenyra.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower (Source: Vogue India)

Cooke brings nuance and depth to Alicent’s pivotal role, presenting her sympathetically despite her antagonism towards the heroine Rhaenyra.

The series charts her political awakening and how she transforms from a passive pawn used by the men around her into a formidable player vying for power.

Her performance has earned widespread praise for its complexity. While she cares for her children and believes she acts rightly, Alicent also enables cruelty and violence to further her family’s interests. 

She expertly captures her contradictory convictions and emotions. With House of the Dragon renewed for a second season, Cooke’s star turn as the ambitious Alicent Hightower is set to continue captivating and dividing audiences.

Olivia Cooke demands “Blood for Blood” in season two of “House of the Dragons”

New posters for the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragons have been released in anticipation of the first full trailer dropping this weekend. 

The posters feature Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, dressed for war. 

After the shocking events of last season’s finale, where Alicent’s son Aemond lost control of his dragon and killed Rhaenyra’s son, the taglines on the posters suggest both women are out for revenge, with rhetoric about “blood for blood” and “fire for fire.” 

This signals that tensions between the rival factions locking horns for control of the Iron Throne will boil over into outright war in season two.

Olivia Cooke in the new poster for ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 (Source: Twitter)

Based on how season one built towards the Targaryen civil war, also called the Dance of the Dragons, it’s expected that Cooke’s cunning and ruthless Alicent will take further steps to secure the throne for her eldest son Aegon. 

Meanwhile, D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra will undoubtedly be outraged and vengeful over her son’s death, sparking more significant conflict between the two former friends. 

The posters and upcoming trailer confirm that Alicent and Rhaenyra will be the figureheads driving the coming war that looks set to ravage Westeros in season two, airing next summer. 

Expect Cooke’s steely performance as Alicent to continue holding viewers in thrall.