Are HotD's Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke Friends in Real Life?

Summary:

• Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy portray Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon
• During the promo tour of the show's first season, the two had several joint interviews, in which their chemistry leaked through the screens
• Apparently, the two actors are also great friends outside of the House of the Dragon set and promo tours

House of the Dragon stormed into the lives of the Game of Thrones fandom (and many other people who previously didn't even care about Westeros) with style. With the success that the first season was and the buzz that surrounds the upcoming second chapter, fans haven't stopped for a day to theorize about the characters, reminisce about good old days of waiting for a new episode, or fangirling over the amazing actors involved in the production.

Speaking of the latter, the duo of HotD's two BFFs-turned-sworn enemies, Alicent and Rhaenyra, remains captivating even when their real-life alter-egos, Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy, are concerned.

From the staple "Negroni Sbagliato" moment to the rest of their chaotic interviews, every single interaction of these two just steals fans' hearts.

But are D'Arcy and Cooke actually friends in real life, or does their chemistry end as soon as they're outside of the filming set and promo campaigns?

Just How Close Are Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke in Real Life?

According to D'Arcy, they "fell in love" with Cooke almost immediately after first meeting her — it took the Rhaenyra actor "about 45 seconds." D'Arcy said there was an immediate sense of familiarity, while Cooke confirmed that the two of them never needed to do any extra work to develop the chemistry that was necessary for the gig.

For both of them, it was a huge relief. During their interview for ELLE, Olivia and Emma even agreed that they are each other's "dream dinner guests, dead or alive."

Besides, the two still occasionally exchanges winks on social media, with Cooke being a frequent guest in D'Arcy's comment section on Instagram. House of the Dragon fans found it particularly funny that back when the show won its share of Golden Globe awards in January, Cooke took her time to compliment D'Arcy on her stories, but never actually bothered to post about the series.

"Olivia Cooke opened Instagram to call Emma D’arcy hot and then closed the app… and absolutely nothing about the show winning. She’s just a funny girl to me," one X user joked.

In fact, their off-screen chemistry is so terrific some fans find it particularly hard not to ship their characters in House of the Dragon — or even the actors themselves.

When Will House of the Dragon Season 2 Release?

Currently, the second season of House of the Dragon does not have a premiere date yet. However, HBO did confirm in November that the release will happen in "early summer 2024."

Source: ELLE