House of the Dragon season three took Corlys Velaryon on quite the ride. He found himself embroiled in a fierce battle against the Triarchy in the season opener, which led to mass destruction at High Tide. It didn’t take long after the Gullet battle for Corlys to grow weary of Rhaenyra, even going so far as to publicly call her sons bastards after she refused to legitimize his.
This chasm between the two left Rhaenyra without his balanced council, and Corlys eventually captured and imprisoned by Ormund at Tumbleton, giving him a front seat to witness the battle there. Things end on a shaky note with Corlys helping Daemon retreat to presumably head back to King’s Landing. Will he bury the hatchet with Rhaenyra? What will his relationship with Alyn become? What’s next for Corlys in the show’s final season? We mused about these things and more during our interview with Steve Toussaint, who reflected on Corlys’ season three journey and what’s ahead for the Sea Snake.
Nerdist: This season brought a major fracture in the relationship between Corlys and Rhaenyra. As an actor, what was it like to parse through his complex emotions as he dealt with his complex emotions?
Steve Toussaint: It was great! One of the things that you want as a performer is to explore all facets of a character. The basic emotion of Corlys in season one was sort of ambition and anger at what he could perceive to be injustice. And then in season two, it was basically grief and humility with his illegitimate sons. Now here, you do get that sense of betrayal and frustration. The rage comes back along with a real sense of righteous indignation on his part. It was lovely to look at all those colors of Corlys.
Yeah, and you could feel it deeply in the scenes you shared with Emma D’Arcy and Abubakar Salim, among others. Do you think that season four will show a reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Corlys? Or is that not possible after such harsh words?
Toussaint: Oh, that’s a good question. I think maybe for practical reasons that they will. After he called her out in public like that, normally there’d be no way back from that. But I think he is still a useful member of the Realm, even if he has lost most of his things, he still has his army. So I think there may be a chance for some kind of rapprochement.
But as long as she doesn’t legitimize his kids, which he thinks is the least she can do considering what he and his family have given up for her, it’s still going to be a very rocky road. I’m as excited to find out what happens between those two as anybody else. And I did talk to [showrunner Ryan Condal], but he, being Ryan, was incredibly tight-lipped.
It will be interesting to see what happens! I feel like the finale points towards that with Corlys going into Tumbleton and telling Daemon that they have to leave. He still treated Daemon like an ally, even though he could have just left him there and ran away.
Toussaint: Yes, true. I think that Daemon and Corlys have this very interesting relationship, which has lots of ups and downs. I think for Corlys, Daemon is somebody who is obviously a formidable warrior when he wants to be and a decent strategist, but also a bit of a loose cannon. This season’s slightly different, though. Daemon thinks mainly about himself, but he’s thinking about Rhaenyra, too.
But Corlys recognizes that the Realm’s cause is much stronger with Daemon on his side. There is a sort of wary respect between the two of them. Corlys is very much about doing the right thing, at whatever cost that is.
He may not find Daemon trustworthy or he may not be comfortable in his company, but it’s the right thing to not leave the man behind. And I think, as you said, I think the way that scene plays out, I really feel, and I’ve not had this discussion with Matt, but I just feel that Daemon is prepared to die. He’s just going to keep on cutting people down until someone cuts him down. And in that sense, he needs to be saved from himself. I think that’s what Corlys does here.
That’s very true. Another interesting dynamic is Corlys and his relationship with Alyn. They are also in a fraught place where Alys is growing more devoted to Rhaenyra. He makes this really big choice to kill the High Septon, which seems like a dark shift for his character. How do you think their relationship will evolve when they are reunited?
Toussaint: It’s a difficult one because I think when Corlys hears the news of that act, he’s going to be incredibly disappointed. Again, that’s another sacrifice for the Queen that Coryls thinks has very little reward… The thing with Corlys, and I guess it’s the same with most parents really, is that you try as much as you can to encourage your children to do the right thing and then hope that they do. Of course, Corlys obviously wasn’t in his life for a long time but he still wants to try. But the choices have to be Alyn’s. Even when I saw that scene, I was like “Oh, no, no, no, that’s too much!”
It really hurt my heart because I feel like it’s a turning point in a dark direction for him. Now, of course, I know you don’t know what’s going to happen in season four of House of the Dragon. But what is the ending that you dream of for Corlys?
Toussaint: Well, you’re right. I don’t know because I didn’t read the book, and so I have no idea! [laughs] My wishes for him are going to sound so silly and pathetic compared to what’s been happening. I just want Corlys to be happy, but no one remains happy in this world. So I think for him, if his boys and his granddaughters are safe and secure, I would love that for him. But somehow I have a feeling that that’s not going to happen. But that’s my dream.
Ahhh it would be nice in our hearts, but a TV show has to have all sorts of drama and death and destruction, as the Game of Thrones universe loves to do. I want to see him and his family set sail off towards the sunset and be happy, but I have to brace myself for the alternative.
Toussaint: Exactly! It’s so funny because myself, Clint, Abu, and Bethany had taken a photo after filming for episode two. And when that photo was put out to the public, everyone loved it so much.
Yes, I know the one you’re talking about! I personally shared it with the hashtag #VelaryonGang because it sparked so much joy.
Toussaint: I love that.
Which House of the Dragon character are you most like in real life? And which character do you wish you were more like?
Toussaint: Oh, wow. Okay. The second question, that’s a real kicker. In fact, they both are. Let me think. The first one, I was going to say Rhaenys, but actually I’m not that wise. Oh, gosh. I’m probably a bit like Maester Orwyle because a lot of stuff seems to happen to him and somehow he just manages to just scrape through without entirely falling apart. Actually, I’m doing that character a bit of disservice, but that’s how I see him.
And the one I’d like to be like… well, if he didn’t have the foot fetish, Larys Strong is quite smart and always thinking a couple steps ahead. And if he wasn’t so evil, I wouldn’t mind being like Otto. He’s a shrewd plotter, but even he got a bad ending. [laughs] I quite liked the way that Rhys Ifans portrayed him.
Otto was certainly fun to watch! Last question for you. At Nerdist, we’re all about everything that’s all nerdy and geeky, whether it is comics, gaming, television shows, whatever else makes your nerdy heart happy. So I want to know, Steve, what do you nerd out about?
Toussaint: I often say this, and it sounds so silly. I’m a bit of a nerd for good acting, to be honest. I like a lot of TV. I do watch a lot of TV and I will watch movies again and again. A long, long, long time ago when you used to have to buy games, I used to play some games. And I don’t read books as much as I used to… I like to get lost in somebody else’s world, someone else’s reality, and also have a glimpse into someone else’s life. So I think that’s probably it.
Love it. Do you have a favorite genre?
Toussaint: I like thrillers. One of my favorite films is North by Northwest, the Hitchcock movie. Do you know that one?
Yes I do.
Toussaint: Oh great. That’s the archetypal thing. An innocent man wakes up and suddenly he’s embroiled in something that he has no idea how he got into. I love those kinds of movies. They don’t make them enough.
Tai Gooden is the Features Editor for Nerdist, a fictional villian apologist, and a horror aficionado who is indeed 100% #VelaryonGang, even though Rhaenyra is getting on her nerves.