Olicing harsh criticism from online trolls and toxic fan culture. The House of the Dragon actress later explained that constant exposure to appearance-focused content and hateful comments had begun affecting how she viewed herself
Fans noticed Cooke’s account had disappeared shortly before the Season 3 premiere of HBO’s fantasy drama on June 22. While many initially speculated about the reason, the actress has since opened up about why leaving the platform felt like the healthiest choice.
The reason Oli
Speaking to The Guardian, Cooke said she deactivated her Instagram account after becoming overwhelmed by “looksmaxxers” — social media users obsessed with physical transformations and appearance. Explaining what pushed her to log off, she said, “I was sick of seeing 21-year-old looksmaxxers being like: ‘If you follow a program, this is what you can do,’ and it’s a side-by-side picture of him at 14, going through puberty, and him now, saying, ‘Look at the transformation.’”
The actress added that the constant stream of body-focused content eventually affected her own self-image. “It’s a lot. It’s very navel-gazy, and it distorts your mental image of your body and your self. And I think that has trickled into our industry, as well,” she told the publication.
Cooke’s decision also came after years of dealing with abusive comments from a vocal section of the House of the Dragon fandom. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, she criticized the treatment she and her castmates had received online.
“Some of the fans have been f—— horrible to our cast,” Cooke said. “It makes me really angry that we’re then supposed to just bow down and [pay] obeisance to these people that only want to say the most debased, hate-filled things.”
She also revealed that the hostility wasn’t limited to social media. According to the actress, strangers had approached her in public, asking for photos before insulting her character. “It can be quite vitriolic at times. I don’t want this to come across as ‘Woe is me’, because I’m very grateful for the job, but to field insults when you’re just walking down the street… They want a picture with you, then afterwards, they’ll say, ‘I f—— hate your character, by the way,’ or, ‘Your character’s a —–.’”
Cooke currently stars as Alicent Hightower in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Beyond the hit fantasy series, she is known for roles in Ready Player One, Sound of Metal, Bates Motel, Thoroughbreds, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Ouija, and The Girlfriend.
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