‘House of the Dragon’ Star Explains Corlys’ Pivotal Role in Season 3’s Brutal Finale Battle

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale.

Although House of the Dragon has primarily told the story of the brewing civil war between various members of House Targaryen over the course of its three seasons, another family of Valyrian noble blood has been quietly on the rise. While it might seem as though the Sea Snake himself, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), doesn’t have much to his name, especially in the devastating aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet, he does have more than one heir he wants to carry on his legacy. Unfortunately, his request for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) to legitimize his sons, Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and Addam (Clinton Liberty) of Hull, is denied, but Corlys doesn’t have the opportunity to make the queen see reason when he finds himself in the clutches of Ormund (James Norton) and the Hightower army.

However, even in chains, the Sea Snake is a force to be reckoned with, from holding sway over a room of his kidnappers to intervening when Gwayne (Freddie Fox) tries to use him as a bargaining chip with Daemon (Matt Smith). Before the premiere of the Season 3 finale, Collider spoke with Toussaint about embracing Corlys’ biggest strengths as a diplomat, the experience of filming those brutal and bloody Tumbleton battle scenes, how Corlys might react to Alyn publicly declaring himself as a Velaryon, and more.

COLLIDER: Last time we talked, it was about the Gullet, but little did I know how much was in store for Corlys for the rest of the season. I did have a question for you about the finger. Did you have to do a hand cast, or did the special effects team use photos of your hands to create that?

STEVE TOUSSAINT: Yeah, that’s my finger. They did a cast. In fact, I think that might’ve been how I learned that my finger was being cut off. It must’ve been in the script, but I do remember there was a day I went on set, and they were like, “Oh, special effects are here, and they want to do a cast of your hand.” I was like, “Why?” They were like, “Because of your finger.”

Steve Toussaint Explains Why Corlys Never Really Loses His Power in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3

“I don’t know whether he has ever been a prisoner before, but Corlys has been through an awful lot…”

Image via HBO

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In terms of how Corlys’ storyline plays out this season, the episode where he gets taken by Ormund’s men is a big deviation from the book. What the subsequent episodes really do a good job of emphasizing is that Corlys might be a prisoner, but he’s still got authority even when he’s literally standing in chains. In the finale, Gwayne tries to use Corlys to broker peace with Daemon, and then Corlys takes over the negotiations! What did you really enjoy about getting to show that diplomatic side of the character and how he really steps up in that moment to be the voice of peace and reason?

TOUSSAINT: I liked the whole arc of it, actually, because I think there is something about Corlys and the way that he… I mean, obviously, his reputation and the way he holds himself, that just demands respect from people. It’s a joy when you’re working with people like James [Norton] and Freddie [Fox] because they naturally just play that. Corlys never really loses his power, even though he is in chains.

One of the joys about that scene was particularly when, as you said, Gwayne is trying to relay his plan, and then at one point, Corlys just goes, “Shut up.” It makes part of what Gwayne’s saying make sense. Also, I think at this point, Corlys is just tired of futile wars, tired of the bloodletting, and he’s trying desperately to, like most parents, leave a better world for his sons, his now newly recognized sons, than they began with. I don’t know whether he has ever been a prisoner before, but Corlys has been through an awful lot, and I don’t think this is the first time someone has pointed a knife or a sword at him. You know what I mean? When you’ve been through so much, you’re like “Nothing’s that bad, really.” When people recognize that, it can be liberating.

Do you know if the moment when Corlys looks at Gwayne to give him more slack on the chain was in the script, or something that you all came up with in rehearsing the scene?

TOUSSAINT: That was organic. That wasn’t in the script. My natural tendency was to step forward and speak closer to Daemon because he and Corlys know each other, and in this situation, Gwayne is the outsider. Initially, when we rehearsed it, I did step forward, but obviously, Freddie had his foot on the chain, and so we just went with it. I looked at him, and he went with it, being the good, flexible actor that he is, and we kept it in subsequent takes.

There is that element of Gwayne clearly respecting Corlys and his experience, too.

TOUSSAINT: That’s it, yeah.

As soon as we heard the name Tumbleton, I think fans of the book really knew where that storyline was probably heading. Corlys is also, at one point, in the line of fire when Ulf decides to join the battle on Silverwing, and then flips sides in a way no one expected — which is to say, he just starts blasting indiscriminately. What was it like to really film those sequences where you’re still in chains but having to dodge dragonfire at the same time?

TOUSSAINT: The director, Andrij [Parekh], would just say, “Up there, there’s the dragon, so that’s where you run.” You kind of think to yourself, at this moment, it’s about survival mode. What we tried to portray is that Corlys looks up, he sees the dragon, he recognizes it, he knows it’s Ulf, and so initially, it’s, “Oh, we’re going to be fine.” And then, Ulf does what he does, and you haven’t got time for recriminations. You don’t have time for what’s going to happen to him when we get him back to King’s Landing. You just have to survive. That was the overriding feeling, as we did that sequence.

Corlys starts the episode as the Hightowers’ prisoner. He technically ends the episode as Daemon’s prisoner, but he’s really not being treated like any old prisoner, right? I’m thinking of the scene where Daemon is hacking and slicing his way through Tumbleton, and then Corlys is actually the one who goes to collect him, in a way. Though I was very worried, for a moment, that Daemon would end up stabbing Corlys.

TOUSSAINT: On the one hand, it was great just as a performer, because of the level of detail that these guys put in. We had all these corpses lying around everywhere, and then people just wandering around and so forth. In that sense, it was great to get you into that mood. Story-wise, for Corlys, he looks at Daemon, and I think at that moment, Daemon is on a death wish. After that explosion, he’s got up [and] he’s literally just looking for fights. He wants to be cut down, basically. I think Corlys recognizes that and decides that he’s going to save [Daemon] from himself. There will still be war tomorrow, and Daemon is a great tool for the realm.

The idea that Daemon could swing around and just indiscriminately hack away at Corlys was obviously a very real danger. But it’s Corlys, man. He didn’t even think about it. I think it’s the reason why we did it that way — where he grabs hold of [Daemon], and then there’s a moment when they’re just looking into each other’s eyes, where Daemon is trying to remember where he is and what’s going on. Matt Smith, he’s brilliant. It was great, and I’m glad that it comes across that way as well, because that was the hope.

Steve Toussaint Explains Why Rhaenyra’s Actions in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Are a “Betrayal” for Corlys

“He believes her claim is correct, but, at the same time, this is what he’s lost.”

Image via HBO

The big conflict between Corlys and Rhaenyra this season was her refusal to legitimize Alyn and Addam, and that’s really the inciting incident for why he decides to step down as Hand and leave King’s Landing. Where does Corlys’ frustration stem from the most? Is it the refusal itself? Is it the inherent hypocrisy beneath that? Because he very publicly confronts her about the birth of her first three sons.

TOUSSAINT: Primarily, it is this sense of betrayal for him. It’s a sense of righteous indignation. Because the fact is he was part of the thing when she initially presented them with these two boys who clearly were not of his blood. But he was like, “Okay, fine. We’ll go with that.” For him, before that scene happens, he’s sitting somewhere in that bustle waiting, and he’s going through what he’s been through, who he’s lost — his house, his wife, all of that in the cause of this queen. He believes her claim is correct, but, at the same time, this is what he’s lost. “I don’t ask for riches, I don’t ask any of that, but just do this for my boys, because that’s all I have left to give them.” For Corlys, it’s like, “You can’t even do that after you’ve seen what I’ve been through.” And he doesn’t hear her say, “I can’t do it just yet.” He just hears, “No.”

So I think that’s where he is. And then, as you said, that becomes the impetus for him. “I’m going to go out, and I’m going to mop up the survivors from the Gullet, and I’m going to hang them from trees, and hopefully that will assuage my rage.” I don’t think it does, but there are no more pirates left, so he’s got to go home, and then he gets kidnapped.

In light of all that, one moment in the finale that I wanted to get your reaction to as well is Alyn publicly declaring himself as Corlys’ heir. What do you think Corlys’ reaction is going to be, looking ahead to the next season?

TOUSSAINT: Corlys would be glad. That’s what he thinks it should be. Somebody asked me today, or posited the idea that, actually, Joffrey is the heir to Driftmark. That’s very interesting. That’s another cause for conflict, because Corlys would name Alyn his heir, so Alyn taking that mantle on is like, “Yes, of course. You’re my son.” He would also think it might then force Rhaenyra’s hand.

All three seasons of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max.