#Olivia Cooke Says ‘House of the Dragon’ Cut Sex Scene That Was ‘Carnal’

“House of the Dragon” star Olivia Cooke revealed to Elle magazine that she somewhat disagreed with showrunner Ryan Condel when he decided to cut one of her sex scenes from Season 2. The intimate scene was “carnal” and even “animalistic,” according to Cooke.

“It was messy as fuck. It wasn’t beautiful, and that was really fun to do,” the actor said. “I think Ryan said we weren’t learning any more about the characters, which I disagree with slightly, but it’s OK. It’s his show.”

Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel series, which just kicked off its second season. She worked closely with the show’s intimacy coordinator Vanessa Coffrey on any sex scene that she was required to shoot for the series.

“I thought there’d be way more,” Cooke said of sex scenes on the show, given the reputation “Game of Thrones” had for nudity. “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.”

While Cooke thought she’d have more sex scenes on “House of the Dragon,” her co-star Matt Smith remembered thinking he had too many sex scenes during the first season of the hit show. The “Doctor Who” veteran stars as Daemon Targaryen.

“You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’” Smith told Rolling Stone U.K. before the series debuted. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we’re living in]?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written.”

When asked if he is featured in some of the show’s sex scenes, Smith replied, “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me.”

“House of the Dragon” Season 2 airs new episodes on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.