diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/localematcher.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/localematcher.cpp
index 6eaa31ac0327..8aae596bc8d7 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/localematcher.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/localematcher.cpp
@@ -610,7 +610,7 @@ const Locale *LocaleMatcher::getBestMatch(const Locale &desiredLocale, UErrorCod
     std::optional<int32_t> suppIndex = getBestSuppIndex(
         getMaximalLsrOrUnd(likelySubtags, desiredLocale, errorCode),
         nullptr, errorCode);
-    return U_SUCCESS(errorCode) && suppIndex.has_value() ? supportedLocales[suppIndex.value()]
+    return U_SUCCESS(errorCode) && suppIndex.has_value() ? supportedLocales[*suppIndex]
                                                          : defaultLocale;
 }
 
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ const Locale *LocaleMatcher::getBestMatch(Locale::Iterator &desiredLocales,
     }
     LocaleLsrIterator lsrIter(likelySubtags, desiredLocales, ULOCMATCH_TEMPORARY_LOCALES);
     std::optional<int32_t> suppIndex = getBestSuppIndex(lsrIter.next(errorCode), &lsrIter, errorCode);
-    return U_SUCCESS(errorCode) && suppIndex.has_value() ? supportedLocales[suppIndex.value()]
+    return U_SUCCESS(errorCode) && suppIndex.has_value() ? supportedLocales[*suppIndex]
                                                          : defaultLocale;
 }
 
@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ LocaleMatcher::Result LocaleMatcher::getBestMatchResult(
     if (U_FAILURE(errorCode) || !suppIndex.has_value()) {
         return Result(nullptr, defaultLocale, -1, -1, false);
     } else {
-        return Result(&desiredLocale, supportedLocales[suppIndex.value()], 0, suppIndex.value(), false);
+        return Result(&desiredLocale, supportedLocales[*suppIndex], 0, *suppIndex, false);
     }
 }
 
@@ -659,8 +659,8 @@ LocaleMatcher::Result LocaleMatcher::getBestMatchResult(
     if (U_FAILURE(errorCode) || !suppIndex.has_value()) {
         return Result(nullptr, defaultLocale, -1, -1, false);
     } else {
-        return Result(lsrIter.orphanRemembered(), supportedLocales[suppIndex.value()],
-                      lsrIter.getBestDesiredIndex(), suppIndex.value(), true);
+        return Result(lsrIter.orphanRemembered(), supportedLocales[*suppIndex],
+                      lsrIter.getBestDesiredIndex(), *suppIndex, true);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/uloc.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/uloc.cpp
index c17b590bfcf4..b93c259c00bf 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/uloc.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/uloc.cpp
@@ -1154,12 +1154,12 @@ std::optional<int16_t> _findIndex(const char* const* list, const char* key)
 U_CFUNC const char*
 uloc_getCurrentCountryID(const char* oldID){
     std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(DEPRECATED_COUNTRIES, oldID);
-    return offset.has_value() ? REPLACEMENT_COUNTRIES[offset.value()] : oldID;
+    return offset.has_value() ? REPLACEMENT_COUNTRIES[*offset] : oldID;
 }
 U_CFUNC const char*
 uloc_getCurrentLanguageID(const char* oldID){
     std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(DEPRECATED_LANGUAGES, oldID);
-    return offset.has_value() ? REPLACEMENT_LANGUAGES[offset.value()] : oldID;
+    return offset.has_value() ? REPLACEMENT_LANGUAGES[*offset] : oldID;
 }
 
 namespace {
@@ -1225,7 +1225,7 @@ _getLanguage(const char* localeID,
         buffer[3] = '\0';
         std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(LANGUAGES_3, buffer);
         if (offset.has_value()) {
-            const char* const alias = LANGUAGES[offset.value()];
+            const char* const alias = LANGUAGES[*offset];
             sink->Append(alias, (int32_t)uprv_strlen(alias));
             return;
         }
@@ -1306,7 +1306,7 @@ _getRegion(const char* localeID,
         buffer[3] = '\0';
         std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(COUNTRIES_3, buffer);
         if (offset.has_value()) {
-            const char* const alias = COUNTRIES[offset.value()];
+            const char* const alias = COUNTRIES[*offset];
             sink->Append(alias, (int32_t)uprv_strlen(alias));
             return;
         }
@@ -1465,10 +1465,10 @@ ulocimp_getSubtags(
 
     ulocimp_getSubtags(
             localeID,
-            languageSink.has_value() ? &languageSink.value() : nullptr,
-            scriptSink.has_value() ? &scriptSink.value() : nullptr,
-            regionSink.has_value() ? &regionSink.value() : nullptr,
-            variantSink.has_value() ? &variantSink.value() : nullptr,
+            languageSink.has_value() ? &*languageSink : nullptr,
+            scriptSink.has_value() ? &*scriptSink : nullptr,
+            regionSink.has_value() ? &*regionSink : nullptr,
+            variantSink.has_value() ? &*variantSink : nullptr,
             pEnd,
             status);
 }
@@ -2183,7 +2183,7 @@ uloc_getISO3Language(const char* localeID)
     if (U_FAILURE(err))
         return "";
     std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(LANGUAGES, lang.data());
-    return offset.has_value() ? LANGUAGES_3[offset.value()] : "";
+    return offset.has_value() ? LANGUAGES_3[*offset] : "";
 }
 
 U_CAPI const char*  U_EXPORT2
@@ -2199,7 +2199,7 @@ uloc_getISO3Country(const char* localeID)
     if (U_FAILURE(err))
         return "";
     std::optional<int16_t> offset = _findIndex(COUNTRIES, cntry.data());
-    return offset.has_value() ? COUNTRIES_3[offset.value()] : "";
+    return offset.has_value() ? COUNTRIES_3[*offset] : "";
 }
 
 U_CAPI uint32_t  U_EXPORT2
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/depstest/dependencies.txt b/icu4c/source/test/depstest/dependencies.txt
index ebe8bcecffb9..e0484f76329c 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/depstest/dependencies.txt
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/depstest/dependencies.txt
@@ -139,12 +139,6 @@ group: cplusplus
     # "Calls the current terminate handler."
     std::terminate()
 
-    # ICU4C doesn't actually use C++ exceptions, but the standard library does,
-    # so these symbols can end up in debug builds.
-    "std::exception::~exception()"
-    "typeinfo for std::exception"
-    "vtable for std::exception"
-
 group: iostream
     "std::basic_ios<char, std::char_traits<char> >::clear(std::_Ios_Iostate)"
     "std::basic_ios<char, std::char_traits<char> >::eof() const"