British actress Olivia Cooke has given a candid and powerful interview detailing the significant mental health challenges she has faced throughout her career, from a debilitating breakdown in her early twenties to ongoing struggles with body image in the spotlight.
A Silent Struggle: Panic Attacks and Intrusive Thoughts
Now 32, Cooke identified her toughest period as being in her early twenties, shortly after she moved to the United States to pursue acting opportunities. She described suffering in silence for years, with the initial phase marked by daily panic attacks for three consecutive weeks.
This acute anxiety spiralled into a longer battle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and intrusive thoughts, which plagued her for a further three years. Cooke was stark in her description, stating she "wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy" and that the experience felt like being "tortured from within."
Industry Pressures and the 'Endlessly Shrinking Bodies'
More recently, the 'House of the Dragon' star has contended with intense pressures around body image, exacerbated by what she perceives as an "endlessly shrinking" standard within the acting industry and wider culture. This became particularly acute while filming intimate scenes for her new Prime Video series, 'The Girlfriend', in the wake of the global Ozempic craze.
Cooke, who plays the scheming social climber Cherry, admitted to feeling "insecure" during sex scenes, noting "It's so hard not to feel insecure when only yourself and your partner and your doctor see you like that." She revealed one such shoot was scheduled first thing, leading her to skip breakfast and nearly faint from hunger.
Her solution has been to delete Instagram while filming on location in Budapest for another project, a move she finds liberating. "To not be inundated with endlessly shrinking bodies has been a relief," she told The Sunday Times. "I don't think I've ever navel-gazed that hard about my own body until now. Not to blame this on the patriarchy, but it does just feel like another way to suppress women [and] make them even more anxious and scared about just being in a bigger body."
Finding Inspiration in Family for 'The Girlfriend'
For her raciest role to date, Cooke drew inspiration from a familiar source: her younger sister, Eleanor, 26. She explained that the fictional Cherry shares her sibling's glamour, charm, humour, and "somewhat of a temper," while emphasising her sister is not like the manipulative character.
"She's going to kill me, but she reminds me of Cherry. When I read the script, I was like, 'This is my sister!'" Cooke said. The actress grew up in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with her sister and their mother after her parents' divorce, attending the Oldham Theatre Workshop from age eight before moving to the US as a teenager.
Her career breakthrough came with the role of Alicent Hightower in the hit Sky Atlantic series 'House of the Dragon' in 2022, following appearances in shows and films like Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One'.
