Top 5 Olivia Cooke Movies And TV Shows Ranked

Olivia Cooke has quietly become one of Hollywood's most intriguing stars. Though she has no major awards under her belt (yet!), Cooke has proven her talent through a number of diverse roles throughout the years. From action-packed blockbusters that dominated at the box office to mature, high-octane television shows, Cooke is showing no signs of stopping. And why would she? The actress kicked off her career in 2012 with the British show "Blackout" and has since become a consistent presence on both the big and small screen.

Her success is all the more interesting and well-deserved when you consider that she was rejected from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art — one of the most prestigious acting schools in not only the United Kingdom but the world. In a recent conversation with Hunger, Cooke opened up about her lack of formal training when it comes to acting. "I can only go on my particular experience, but I was really lucky to be able to learn on the job from the age of 18," she said. "I was able to shape myself and my craft while learning from incredible professionals who have had years of experience."

A decade after her on-screen debut, Cooke now has tons of experience, which she should happily flex. Since her start, Cooke has demonstrated an immense array of talent and a sense of curiosity, consistently picking absorbing roles that some might shy away from. With so many projects under her belt, let's dive deep into the star's resumé of movies and TV shows and rank her top five — so far.

The world was first introduced to Olivia Cooke on a grand scale with the debut of "Bates Motel," a serialized prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Critically, the show became a favorite, with its five-season run boasting an extremely positive 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show hit the airwaves in 2013 and became a fascination for A&E viewers, quickly emerging as one of the network's most popular offerings. While the love for Hitchcock's "Psycho" brought people in, it was the performances of child-star-turned-adult-actor Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga as Norman Bates and Momma Bates, respectively, that kept them returning. 

But while the duo excelled with the series' mother-son drama, the show's major standout was Cooke, who appeared as Emma, one of Norman's closest friends. She became a favorite thanks to her empathetic nature, kind actions, and genuine interest in Norman and his familial issues. Though not an entirely perfect character, Emma was complex and, more often than not, the show's most morally sound presence. Unfortunately, while playing Emma helped kickstart her career, Cooke's time on "Bates Motel" was tough on her mental health because of the chaotic shooting schedule. 

Despite that, Cooke continued to be a leading player on "Bates Motel" over the show's five-season run. Despite being one of her earliest roles, Cooke proved herself while being surrounded by many acting veterans. While speaking with The Guardian in 2022, Cooked discussed how she learned to absorb a character's mindset thanks to time she spent working with the beloved Farmiga. "She had the role in her bones," Cooked said of her co-star. As the British star continues in her career, you can see just how attached Cooke becomes to her roles, often disappearing into them. 

If you're a cinephile or TV junkie, chances are you were already more than familiar with Olivia Cooke before she took on this role. However, it was "House of the Dragon" that introduced the British starlet to millions of new viewers and, unsurprisingly, became her greatest (and biggest) role to date. In an interview with Looper, Cooke admitted that she had never seen "Game of Thrones" when she landed the part, which is surprising considering she excels at showing off her Targaryen snark. Starring as Alicent Hightower, the actor has pretty much killed it in the HBO series, effortlessly floating between concerned, curious, and angry over the show's two seasons.

To date, starring as a Hightower has proven to be Cooke's most complex and cruel role. The "Game of Thrones" series is a flex for Cooke, as her character is one of the most fascinating on the entire program. As the series has continued, audiences have seen Cooke become more comfortable as Alicent, especially in the second season. We've seen Cooke's interpretation of Alicent change and evolve, leading to a character that continues to be ambitious with a thin veneer of ambiguity.

Cooke has received nothing but praise for her "House of the Dragon" role, with both fans and critics celebrating her performance. Appearing on the show should hopefully lead to Cooke receiving an Emmy, which she rightfully deserves. And even if there are no awards to be had, Cooke can rest easy knowing she's provided audiences with a character that's powerful, perhaps misguided, but still understandable. It's no secret that starring in "House of the Dragon" changed Cooke's life and will probably open up tons more opportunities for her down the line.

One of the most underrated films of the 2010s, "Thoroughbreds" is a delightfully twisted black comedy that's tailor-made for Gen Z. Written and directed by Cory Finley in his cinematic debut, "Thoroughbreds" follows high schoolers Amanda (Olivia Cooke) and Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy), two teenagers who decide to murder Lily's stepfather (Paul Sparks). Witty, charming, and utterly suspenseful, "Thoroughbreds" became a critical darling when it made its festival debut in 2017. With an 88% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been praised for its sharp satire and leading performances. In a review for RogerEbert.com, critic Christy Lemire sang the praises of Cooke's performance as the reserved but blunt Amanda. "Cooke is just a master of delivering brutal, low-key one liners," Lemire wrote. "She might just be a sullen, detached teen—or she might be a straight-up sociopath."

For Cooke, "Thoroughbreds" was that transition film that helped her show off her dramatic side in an unhinged manner. Prior to the dark comedy, Cooke's roles mostly saw her portraying characters who are dejected and quiet. With "Thoroughbreds," she's able to channel the same feelings, but in a more complicated way, leading to a character that stands out as one of her best. By flexing her angst in this pic, Cooke was inadvertently preparing herself for "House of the Dragon," which regularly forces her to believably transform from calm and reserved to spiteful and angry in a matter of seconds.

Beyond serving as a great vehicle for Cooke's range, "Thoroughbreds" is simply a breezy but diabolical film that happens to have the late Anton Yelchin's final performance on screen. He plays a hitman, and his banter with Cooke and Taylor-Joy's characters alone is worth the price of admission.

"Bates Motel" wrapped up in 2017, freeing up Olivia Cooke's schedule and allowing her to take on a slew of new roles. By then, it was pretty obvious that the actor had the chops for dramatic performances, lending her talents to the supremely underrated "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," "Katie Says Goodbye," and the aforementioned "Thoroughbreds." But could she handle a blockbuster? In 2018, she answered that question when she starred in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "Ready Player One," which became a massive hit at the box office. A love letter to '80s pop culture, "Ready Player One" was a sci-fi spectacle that managed to live up to whopping expectations.

Cooke plays Samantha/Art3mis, someone who tries to protect the "Ready Player One's" virtual reality system both in the real and fictional world. This stands out as one of Cooke's best roles because you see her adapt to a completely different style of filmmaking, one that demands her to be louder and bolder. Through Art3mis, we see Cooke forced to deliver a performance that has a not-so-subtle edge to it. The role was particularly daunting for the star, as the film required copious amounts of motion capture performance, something she hadn't done before.

While speaking with Collider, Cooke indicated that starring in a major blockbuster like "Ready Player One" felt like a career advancement. She continued by saying that she wanted to be more strategic with the roles she took on going forward. "Now, I'm in a really good place where I can pick and choose," she said. "I can find an article and get the rights to it, find a writer to write the script, get a director involved, and then go and make a movie."

Released theatrically in 2020, "Sound of Metal" is a curious film that got the kudos it deserved but still, somehow, feels underrated. Despite 6 Oscar nominations (and 2 technical award wins), the movie simply isn't as widely talked about as it should be. The film stars Riz Ahmed as Ruben, a drummer in a metal band with his girlfriend, Lou (Olivia Cooke). Though they're not rock stars, they make do by performing gigs around the country. Unfortunately, their lives take a turn for the worse when Ruben begins to lose his hearing, forcing the couple to confront their relationship with music and with each other.

Though the film is very much a showcase for Ahmed's stunning capabilities as an emotional actor, Cooke does get her fair share of screen time, allowing her the opportunity to show off her skills as a singer, something that terrified her. While speaking with Collider, Cooke opened up about the pressure and time it took to capture the live performance aspects of the films. "It was really terrifying. When you're rehearsing, you can put it out of your mind that you're gonna eventually have to be on stage and perform it," she said. "We only did about seven takes, on the whole, with that performance, but that was the most that we did, throughout the film. It was terrifying, but it was also exhilarating."

While she didn't end up getting an Oscar nomination alongside Ahmed, Cooke did a wonderful job in the film, exposing herself to the type of more chaotic, unrefined character that she hadn't explored previously.