According to Cooke in the Variety piece, these comparisons are inevitable due to the nature of the internet.
“They’ll always be compared. In online discourse, it tends to be more black and white of who’s the hero and the villain. I do think they’re really different, though, and I limited the amount of wine that I drank in scenes because I didn’t want the comparison to be too transparent.”
Cooke is aware of the comparisons and actively trying to steer away from them. Just like the show itself, which will need to work extra hard to avoid being pegged as just “more ‘Game of Thrones,'” Cooke needs to rise above and beyond with her characterization of Alicent if she wants people to give her performance the credit it deserves. One of the challenges of making a prequel to such a popular show, I suppose.
And while Cooke admires the work of Headey on the Cersei character, she sees the differences between their two roles as very clear.
“I think Alicent is run on anxiety and self-doubt a lot more, and I don’t think Cersei has that at all. She completely believes in every blow she strikes. I don’t think Alicent has that at all. She’s been so beaten by the patriarchal system she’s in, by her children, by trying to endlessly make things right and to walk such a narrow, straight line. She’s put herself under such immense pressure. You can see Alicent fraying at the seams the whole time, whereas Cersei is so strong and formidable all the way through.”
