In an exclusive interview with The Observer UK, 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 sits down as this week’s guest star to reflect on her remarkable journey — from a Manchester teenager defying her first agent’s doubts to becoming one of Britain’s most compelling screen talents.

𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 recalls the moment she left her local agency for London, only to be warned she’d be “a very small fish in a massive pond.” Her defiant response — “I’ll show you!” — has since been backed up by an eclectic career spanning Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, the acclaimed Sound of Metal, and now global recognition as Alicent Hightower in HBO’s House of the Dragon.

Speaking to The Observer UK over herbal tea in a sweltering east London café, 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 is candid about the challenges of sudden fame, her refusal to watch her own work (“it’s torture”), and her latest role in Amazon’s upcoming thriller The Girlfriend. Starring alongside Robin Wright, she plays Cherry, a character she describes as “ambitious, magnetic and morally wonky.”

With her quick wit, restless honesty, and ability to bring nuance to every role, 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 proves once again why she’s not just surviving the Hollywood pond — she’s quietly becoming one of its brightest stars.