- Primary Subject: Olivia Cooke and her Star Wars audition
- Key Update: Olivia Cooke opened up about the rumors of her audition for a role in Star Wars.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: June 23, 2026
- Quick Answer: Olivia Cooke confirmed she auditioned for Rey in Star Wars, but missed out after delivering what she self-critically described as a "really bad" performance.
House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke recently set the record straight on the rumors that she was in contention for a major Star Wars role.
The 32-year-old English actress has earned worldwide recognition for her performance as Alicent Hightower in the Game of Thrones prequel series. This marks the first time she is part of a major franchise, and she has been praised by fans as one of the highlights. However, as it turns out, she was almost part of the galaxy far, far away years ago.
Did Olivia Cooke Audition to Join Star Wars?
In a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Olivia Cooke was asked whether she was in the running for a major role in the Star Wars franchise, particularly in The Last Jedi.
She shot down the speculations that she was in contention, although she admitted that she had auditioned for the role of Rey.
"I did audition a few times for the other one, where Daisy Ridley got [the role of Rey]. The first one. But, like, everyone and their dog auditioned for that," the actress said.
However, the experience did not turn out as well as she would have liked.
"I think I auditioned once in L.A. and then once with J.J. [Abrams]. And I was s***. I was really bad," Cooke recalled. "I was just bad. 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?"
By the end, Cooke believed that they had found the right actress for the role with Daisy Ridley.
"Daisy did such an amazing job. I just wasn't that kind of actor at that time. It wasn't a fit," she said.
Cooke did not specify in the interview whether her doors are open to join the Star Wars franchise someday if a new opportunity arises.
What's Next for the Star Wars Movie Franchise
Up next in the theatrical Star Wars slate is Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone original story that takes place in a timeline that has never been explored in the franchise before. Shawn Levy directed the film, and it is slated for release in theaters on May 28, 2027.
The cast includes Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, Mia Goth, Matt Smith, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, and Daniel Ings.
Lucasfilm is also developing other Star Wars movie projects such as the untitled Rey movie (with Daisy Ridley reprising the role), the untitled James Mangold movie, the untitled Taika Waititi movie, a Lando Calrissian movie, and a new trilogy produced by Simon Kinberg.
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