“Everyone and Their Dog Auditioned”: The ‘Star Wars’ Role ‘House of the Dragon’ Olivia Cooke Lost

Olivia Cooke‘s journey to a galaxy far, far away and being one with The Force hasn’t been a smooth one. Speaking recently on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 32-year-old star of ‘House of the Dragon‘ cleared up internet rumors about her experience with the storied ‘Star Wars‘ science fiction saga.

Where some speculated about her being on the shortlist for Rian Johnson‘s ‘The Last Jedi,’ Cooke explained how her experience was something totally different—and revolved around the movie that re-sparked it all.

Olivia Cooke Recalls ‘The Force Awakens’ Audition

There were longstanding rumors in Hollywood that Olivia Cooke was trying out for the role of Rose Tico, which eventually went to Kelly Marie Tran. Cooke swiftly dismissed these rumors as groundless speculations.

“I don’t think I actually auditioned for it. That might have been like you’re on a list and they just put it out there,” Cooke said in the podcast, adding, “an agent leaked it to try and get more cache.”

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Where she didn’t try out for ‘The Last Jedi,’ Cooke did go through the casting process for another ‘Star Wars‘ movie, in a bid to get a leading role in 2015’s ‘The Force Awakens,’ the role that made Daisy Ridley a global superstar.

“I did audition a few times for the other one where Daisy Ridley [got the role]… the first one,” Cooke added. In talking about the incredibly competitive casting process for what turned out to be a blockbuster movie, she added, “But like, you know, everyone and their dog auditioned. Every brunette British girl with big eyes… just, you know, insert here.”

A Disastrous Audition Room Performance

Regrettably, Cooke’s audition did not go well. She talked about going through several rounds, including one very difficult session with the movie’s director, J.J. Abrams, that made her feel out of her depth.

“I think I auditioned once in L.A. and then once with J.J., and I was s—. I was really bad,” Cooke stated with surprising candor. “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? It just wasn’t a fit. Daisy did such an amazing job. I just wasn’t that kind of actor at that time.”

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While not getting the role of Rey ended up being an easy thing to get past in retrospect, Cooke admitted that the rejection for her role in the romantic drama ‘Endless Love‘ in 2014, when she was only 19, was absolutely devastating for her, as she cried herself to sleep over losing the role to Gabriella Wilde.

Fortunately, that heartbreak did not deter her at all. Instead, Cooke has continued to rack up her credits in critically acclaimed films like ‘Me and Earl’ and ‘The Dying Girl,’ and ‘Sound of Metal,’ before landing her breakthrough role as Queen Alicent Hightower in HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon.’

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