Olivia Cooke says toxic fandom of 'House of the Dragon' prompted social media break

Olivia Cooke says toxic fandom of 'House of the Dragon' prompted social media break

Los Angeles, British star Olivia Cooke, who plays Queen Alicent Hightower in HBO's "House of the Dragon", says the show's fandom, which is often steeped in misogyny and racism, led her to take a break from social media.

Olivia Cooke says toxic fandom of 'House of the Dragon' prompted social media break

In an interview with GQ, Cooke spoke about the intense fan culture surrounding the "Game of Thrones" prequel series.

"I think some of those interpretations just catch fire, and they become something that bears no resemblance to what was shown on the screen at the time," she said.

"There's a lot of ugliness to that fandom as well. It's steeped in misogyny. There's a lot of racism. I try to let it take up minimal mental real estate," she added.

Cooke said the online discourse eventually became unhealthy for her, prompting her to deactivate her social media accounts ahead of the third season premiere of "House of the Dragon" in June.

"I was just like, I'm on this too much. It's not nourishing," she said.

The actor also questioned the growing emphasis on celebrity culture and social media engagement in the entertainment industry.

"I think the celebri-fied nature of being an actor has now snowballed into this monster. And I just think we need to get off this train and realise that we make these TV shows and films, yes, for escapism, but also because it's artful and it's creative and it's not for followers or for a brand deal or to get free shit. Even though that is nice sometimes," she said.

Cooke is not the only actor from the "Game of Thrones" universe to speak about the impact of social media.

Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark in the original series, had earlier opened up about the toll online scrutiny took on her mental health.

Turner, who joined the show at the age of 14, told Flaunt magazine last year that social media became a difficult experience as her profile grew alongside the popularity of the series.

"I think social media was just really becoming a big thing after I started on 'Game of Thrones', so I got a couple of years of peace and quiet and then I had to adjust. It had such a profound impact on my mental health, like more than I could tell you. It almost destroyed me on numerous occasions," Turner said.

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