Warning: this interview contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3.
Corlys Velaryon has endured enormous losses in House of the Dragon season 3. The Sea Snake, played by Steve Toussaint, saw his castle and much of his fleet destroyed during the Battle of the Gullet. He also lost several members of his family, while Queen Rhaenyra rejected his request to recognise his bastard sons, Alyn and Addam, as Velaryons while mourning her own children.
Corlys’ situation deteriorated further when enemy forces abducted him and kept him hostage. By the season’s violent Battle of Tumbleton, he was in a uniquely vulnerable position, although he still influenced events before and after the fighting.
After the season 3 finale, Toussaint discussed Corlys’ political aims, the production of Tumbleton, his concerns about the character’s survival and what little he knew about the show’s fourth and final season.
Corlys wants to prevent more needless deaths
During the episode, Prince Daeron Targaryen attempts to stop the bloodshed at Tumbleton by releasing Corlys. With Daemon Targaryen commanding the army, the talks quickly unravel. Corlys then tries to help negotiate a power-sharing arrangement between the opposing sides, but that proposal also fails.
Toussaint’s reading of the character is that Corlys is genuinely searching for an alternative to continued war. He recognises that Gwayne Hightower’s suggestion of two monarchs cannot work, which is why he tells Gwayne to stop. However, Corlys believes a compromise might spare civilians from unnecessary deaths.
“Corlys is tired of warfare. He has personally lost so much in this cause,” Toussaint said.
Corlys does not want to reward the Hightowers, and Toussaint does not believe the character has any affection for them. In an ideal outcome, they would still face justice for their actions. His priority is avoiding a greater loss of innocent life.
How the Battle of Tumbleton was filmed
House of the Dragon has filmed across Europe, combining real locations with constructed sets to build Westeros. For Tumbleton, the outdoor battle material was shot south of London in a large valley filled with extras and practical structures.
Toussaint said the exterior scenes involving Corlys, Daemon and Gwayne were filmed in that location. Other sequences, including the interior moment in which Corlys pulls a character from the battle, were recorded on a built set.
Toussaint still worries that Corlys could die
Even an important character is vulnerable in Westeros, and Toussaint said he constantly wonders whether Corlys will survive. The concern became especially immediate at the end of season 3’s first episode, when Corlys falls into the sea.
At that point, the actor said he wondered whether Corlys would even be alive in episode 2, given the series’ frequent and abrupt character deaths.
Toussaint could have consulted the book on which the series is based, but he deliberately chose not to read it. Showrunner Ryan Condal has made significant changes from the source material, and Toussaint did not want to become attached to events or character details that might later be removed from the scripts.
His approach is to perform the version of Corlys written for the television series, rather than allow the book to shape expectations about what happens next.
Season 4 details remain scarce
When asked about season 4, Toussaint said he was still waiting for the script. At the London premiere of season 3, Ryan Condal told him the first draft of the fourth season was nearly complete and teased that it would be “pretty good”. Toussaint had not received meaningful plot details at the time of the interview.
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max.
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