Olivia Cooke has revealed that an “animalistic” sex scene she filmed for House Of The Dragon was cut from the show.
During a new interview with Elle, Cooke – who portrays Alicent Hightower in the Game Of Thrones prequel series – explained that the scene in question was “messy as fuck”.
“It wasn’t beautiful, and that was really fun to do,” the actor continued, describing the racy moment as “carnal” and “animalistic”.
“I think Ryan [Condal, showrunner] said we weren’t learning any more about the characters, which I disagree with slightly, but it’s OK. It’s his show,” Cooke continued.
She then suggested that the scene could be released as part of a blooper reel.
Cooke, who worked closely with House Of The Dragon’s intimacy coordinator Vanessa Coffey, said: “I thought there’d be way more [sex scenes], and so I’m relieved that when it has been used for me, it’s showing Alicent being pleasured, which is amazing and doesn’t feel gratuitous. It feels like we’re telling a story.”
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It comes after House Of The Dragon star Tom Glynn-Carney suggested that Game Of Thrones strayed “close to oversexualising women”. Speaking about the prequel’s paring down on sex and nudity, he explained: “I thought [the scenes] were suitably delicate and took a better, more sustainable angle.”
In 2016, Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke (who played Daenerys Targaryen) responded to criticism of the show’s treatment of women (via Entertainment Weekly). Upon the release of House Of The Dragon season one, author George RR Martin addressed claims that the series was anti-women – notably the fact that a queen doesn’t take to the throne.
The second season of House Of The Dragon premiered on HBO in the US last week, and earned widespread praise from critics. UK fans can watch new episodes concurrently via Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.
A third season of the show was confirmed recently, though a release date is not yet known.
Meanwhile, another new Game Of Thrones spin-off series is currently in production, titled A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms.