Olivia Cooke admits that one particular House of the Dragon scene got a little too real. The actor, who plays Alicent Hightower on the HBO series, recalled striking her on-screen son, Tom Glynn-Carney (King Aegon Targaryen) so forcefully during filming that it brought him to tears.

“I walloped him!” Cooke told The i Paper. “I don’t know my own strength! It was a slap that resonated across the land! It made him cry! I mean, that was the reaction that he’d wanted for the cameras. But I felt awful. It was hideous. I’ve always felt sick and wanted to cry after doing any stunt work like that.”

The moment happened after Glynn-Carney encouraged her to “do it for real”, and with the blessing of a stunt coordinator, she delivered a resounding blow.

Beyond the behind-the-scenes story, Cooke also spoke candidly about broader challenges women continue to face in Hollywood, particularly with intimate scenes. She explained that actors are often placed in “really precarious and vulnerable situations”, and for those new to the industry, it can be especially difficult to voice discomfort.

“Women [will] often get labelled ‘difficult’ or ‘a bitch’ for speaking up,” she said. Cooke emphasised the importance of intimacy coordinators, first widely introduced on HBO’s Game of Thrones, noting that they can “sense hesitation and become your voice” on set.

“Showing intimacy and passion is an integral part of reflecting the human experience,” she added, but stressed that it should be achieved without feeling like “a chunk of yourself has been taken.”

Cooke is currently promoting her Prime Video thriller The Girlfriend, in which she stars alongside Robin Wright and Laurie Davidson. The six-episode series debuts Wednesday. Meanwhile, season three of House of the Dragon is expected to arrive next summer.