Before Olivia Cooke starred in the “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” she once auditioned for another major franchise: “Star Wars.”
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cooke was asked if there was any truth to reports that she was up for a part in Rian Johnson’s 2017 “Star Wars” movie “The Last Jedi.” Though she said that was just a “weird rumor,” Cooke then revealed that she auditioned for the part of Rey, which would eventually go to Daisy Ridley, in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
“I did audition a few times for the other one, where Daisy Ridley got [it],” Cooke said. “But you know, everyone and their dog auditioned for that.”
The audition also didn’t exactly go as Cooke had hoped. “I think I auditioned once in L.A., and then once with J.J. [Abrams]. And I was shit. I was really bad,” she admitted.
“You know when you go into an audition, and you’re just not bringing it and you’ve let yourself down, you’ve let everyone down in the room?” Cooke continued. “Daisy did such an amazing job, I just wasn’t that kind of an actor at that time. It just wasn’t a fit.”
Cooke would go on to star in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “Ready Player One” and the Oscar-nominated “Sound of Metal” before landing the role of Alicent Hightower on “House of the Dragon.” The third season of the series is currently airing, with a fourth and final season expected for 2028.
Watch Cooke’s full interview on “Happy Sad Confused” below.