Olivia Cooke Said She Was “Sad” That 8 Months Of Work Got “Reduced To” A TikTok As She Reflected On That Viral Negroni Sbagliato Video
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In 2022, there was just one drink that everybody on the planet was talking about: a Negroni. Sbagliato. With Prosecco in it.
If you really need reminding, then this was the result of a seriously viral moment between House of the Dragon costars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke during the press tour for the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel.
Two years ago, while at San Diego Comic-Con, the show’s network, HBO, tasked the pair with asking each other questions for a TikTok video.
This led to Olivia unassumingly asking Emma the question that started it all: “What’s your drink of choice?”
“A Negroni, sbagliato,” Emma, who uses they/ them pronouns, immediately answered. They then leaned closer to Olivia with a smile on their face as they added: “With Prosecco in it.”
@streamonmax I'll take one of each. #houseofthedragon
♬ a negroni sbagliato w prosecco l hbo max - Max
TikTok @HBOMax / Via tiktok.com
“Ooh, stunning,” Olivia replied, with the British star’s Greater Manchester accent shining through.
If you were anywhere near the internet in the weeks that followed this video being uploaded, then you would know that it was all people were talking about.
The short clip circulated on every platform and even became a viral sound on TikTok as other people gave their best lip-syncing impressions of the two actors.
Both Emma and Olivia briefly acknowledged the hype surrounding the video at the time, with Emma joking to the New York Times: “I keep thinking I should tell my mom that I've become a meme in the hope that she'll be happy for me, but I'd have to explain what a meme is, and I've decided it's too much effort."
They also admitted that they were “so embarrassed” because they were “honestly only trying to make Olivia laugh” after six hours of filming promo.
Meanwhile, Olivia took to her Instagram story to share a video of herself and Emma enjoying Negroni sbagliatos together, poking fun at the sound bite as she added the simple-yet-effective caption: “STUNNIN.”
But in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Olivia confessed that she initially hated the fact that the video went viral — suggesting that it overshadowed the actual work that she and Emma had put into House of the Dragon.
Ahead of the show’s Season 2 premiere, the star made it clear that she has been much more aware during the promo tour this time around — and that she refuses to do TikTok videos.
“It's just sad how you work for eight months and it fucking gets reduced to a fucking TikTok, and that makes me sad,” she said.
"We were just trying to make each other laugh,” Olivia went on. “There's no rhyme or reason to it. I did hate it for a very long time. I was in the pub, a woman opened the door for me, and she said with a thick Spanish accent: ‘Stunnin'!' I was just like, Oh my God. Over a decade's worth of work reduced to a single word in my lexicon."
Meanwhile, Emma told the same publication: “I don't have anything illuminating to say on it because it's very hard to know how to react when you become a meme.”
Olivia’s response sparked a mixed reaction from people, with her quotes dividing social media users when they were tweeted by Variety’s X account.
"House of the Dragon" star Olivia Cooke hated becoming a meme with that Negroni Spagliato viral interview.“It’s just sad how you work for eight months and it f*cking gets reduced to a f*cking TikTok, and that makes me sad...I did hate it for a very long time. I was in the pub.… pic.twitter.com/BPaUZ3CzeF
— Variety (@Variety) May 14, 2024
TikTok @HBOMax / Via tiktok.com
In a popular quote tweet, one person wrote: “You really shouldn’t take yourself this seriously ever."
“The meme lasted for a month like two years ago and it mainly used Emmas voice. Why is Olivia acting like her career is ruined because of it,” somebody else asked.
Another user added: “girl chill this meme is viral bc of emma d’arcy’s sexy voice and not bc of you.” One more wrote: “A meme won’t hurt her career. That attitude might though.”
But others leaped to Olivia’s defense, with one person arguing: “olivia is allowed to be annoyed about something that affects HER if she doesn’t like the meme that’s fine it’s never that serious.”
“It’s time for y'all in the quotes and comments to learn how to leave this woman alone actually,” somebody else agreed.
And one particularly popular quote-tweet reads: “people calling her a miserable heinous bitch for this like she’s supposed to be your accommodating disney world minnie mouse mascot at all times and not find your tiktok lexicon annoying.”
Neither Olivia nor Emma have publicly reacted to the ongoing conversation.
Emma D'Arcy "House Of The Dragon" Stars Emma D'Arcy And Olivia Cooke Hilariously Reacted To Everyone Freaking Out Over Their Negroni Sbagliato ClipNora Dominick · Oct. 14, 2022
Emma D'Arcy saying "with prosecco in it" from the tiktok video next to an array of ingredients that make a negroni spagliato I Tried Making A Negroni Sbagliato (With Prosecco In It) Because Of Emma D'Arcy, And I Gotta Say, It Is "Stunning"Andy Golder · Oct. 10, 2022
A Clip Of "House Of The Dragon" Stars Emma D'Arcy And Olivia Cooke Discussing Negronis Is Going Viral And It Has Everyone Weak In The KneesIsha Bassi · Oct. 10, 2022
