The following article has spoilers for House of the Dragon.
Steve Toussaint, the actor who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon inHouse of the Dragon, was just as shocked as everyone else was when he found out his character had cheated on Rhaenys, and that he had a couple of sons out of wedlock. Infidelity in the universe ofHouse of the DragonandGame of Thrones(Jon Snowis probably the most famous character on television whose mother is still a controversial topic of discussion) isn’t outside of the norm. Although fans usually know such plot points beforehand, the Corlys' secret was still a shocking reveal that even impressed the actor who plays him.
Since season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonbegan, fans knew there was something off about Corlys' constant contact with some characters we didn’t know about. The character also maintained a low profile untilRhaenys was killed, and we saw him grieving over the death of his wife and one of the show’s major characters. Then, in episode 5, Rhaenyra asked him to be Hand, and in the following episode, we saw him accept the offer. However, we also saw that Corlys had an affair, and that affair had consequences.
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
Toussaintexplains to TVLinethat he was also shocked at the blow to his character’s integrity:
“To be honest, I’m going to admit that my response was the same as yours when I read the script. Because for a year-and-a-half, promoting the show, I was all about ‘It’s just her,’ and ‘She’s the one’ and so forth. Then I read that, and I was like, ‘Excuse me?!’ [Laughs] But I still maintain in that, I guess as Eve would say, in that very ‘mannish’ way that his feelings for her are genuine. That sheisthe one. I am still working through it as to trying to find the reasoning behind it.”
The actor also points out thatthe problem isn’t that he has an illegitimate son, but two, Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and Addam (Clinton Liberty). Apparently, Eve Best, the actor who plays Rhaenyra, was in tune with his character being a bit mysterious about it:
“My thing was, ‘OK, yeah, one child. OK, great. He’s a sailor, blah, blah, blah.’ But he then goes back and hasanotherchild, so what’s that? … So, I am still trying to find the way through it… Eve and I had long conversations where she would say, ‘Part of the thing that’s bothering Rhaenys is that this person must have been quite special.’ Initially, I was like, ‘No, no, probably not.’ But yeah, I think maybe there was. Maybe we’ll explore that later. I don’t know.”
Corlys Velaryon’s New Heirs Are More Than Just a Plot Device
Again, it was nothing new. In previous episodes, we had Alyn and Addam taking part in Corlys' cause, which had to mean something. Nevertheless, in the sixth episode, titled “Smallfolk,” it was confirmed that they are, in fact, Corlys' sons. Alyn drew attention for courageously saving Corlys' life, but in the episode, he’s also seen shaving his head to conceal his real hair color: He has Valyrian hair. Their bloodline is what actually matters; after the rogue dragon Seasmoke is seemingly shown as uncontrollable, the beast chooses Addam as a rider.
House of the Dragon Brings Back Another Fan-Favorite Character
Another familiar face returned to haunt Daemon’s dreams this week.
This is huge for Rhaenyra, who tried to make a Targaryen descendant a new dragon rider. We all know how that went, with a fiery massacre and the dragon leaving his chamber. But now that Seasmoke has a new rider, and he seems to be on Corlys' side, the odds are more positive for the queen. There are morefire-breathing creaturesavailable, but Rhaenyra’s odds are already looking better. We’ll just have to wait for the next episode and see how Seasmoke behaves in battle.
House of the Dragon’s episodes are released every Sunday and are available to stream on Max.
