Film Geek Guy's Matthew Escosia spoke to Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys) about the third season of "House of the Dragon", which premieres on HBO Max in New Zealand from 22 June, with new episodes dropping every Monday.
Toussaint was in New Zealand for the launch of HBO Max in the country and to promote the much-awaited return of his show. In our interview, Steve Toussaint shared production stories about the Battle of the Gullet, the centerpiece of the season three premiere episode, as well as his response to the possibility of Lord Corlys sitting on the Iron Throne.
(READ: HBO Max in New Zealand guide: Prices, shows, and films to watch)
Will Lord Corlys on the Iron Throne be a wise ending for the character, or will this be the one thing that destroys him? Watch the full video interview and read the transcription of our conversation below.
This interview has been lightly edited for publication.
Matthew Escosia: In this season of House of the Dragon, we finally get to see Lord Corlys in action during the Battle of the Gullet. What was it like being at the centre of a production of this scale? And do you have any particular preparations that you had to do for this massive sequence?
Steve Toussaint: Second part of the question first. Yes, the prep involved a lot. We had a long time going through the fight choreography because, well, have you seen it? Yeah, OK, well, you know what was involved. So we spent a lot of time. Abubakar [Salim] told me it was something like two or three months. What would happen is the stunt guys would choreograph it, then they would film it with somebody playing your part and show us. And then we had to do those moves. And the moves were incredible. Because at the time when we were doing it, we're just wearing T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms. Then they bring the costume in and you're wearing the armour, and suddenly you can't do half of those moves.
There was one move where I get to kick somebody in the chest, and I was looking forward to doing that because I figured that'll look sexy. And then I put the armour on and I can't get my foot above the person's knee. So you have to change it. Then we got onto the set, and the set was much smaller than the gym we were training in, plus there was lots of water everywhere, and blood, and they threw a few corpses for us to jump over as well. So that became another challenge in itself. I am so incredibly grateful to all the stunt performers because they made us look like we knew what we were doing, even when most often we didn't.
In terms of being at the centre of it, what more could you ask for? I mean, Loni [Peristere], our director, said, "You should watch Master and Commander for inspiration." So we did, and then I said to him, "My Russell Crowe?" And he was like, "Yeah." So that was very good. It was fine. And it was lovely to have been part of the whole prep, and then to get out there on that wonderful set with all these wonderful actors and stunt performers and go through the motions. It was extraordinary.
It's an amazing sequence. You have dragons, ships in a vast ocean. What was the hardest thing to pull off?
You know, it's a funny thing. When we're asked this question, we've been saying rather glibly that it was trying to keep the water out of your mouth. And I'll tell you why: they built two tanks for us, two huge tanks: a dry tank and a wet tank. The wet tank was something like seven or eight metres deep, full of water. And of course there were a few scuba divers in the water at all times in case anyone got into trouble. And those scuba divers never left the water for the whole day. So they didn't go to the toilet. So we made sure we kept our mouths shut when we were in the water.
But other than that, I think the hardest part was trying to make the fight choreography look real. Because one of the things you realise is that even when you're doing an intricate fight — if you're unfortunate enough to be in a fight — every single blow you make, you hope is the last one. You don't intend to be fighting for minutes. You want it to end quickly. Every blow you throw has to be the one you think will end the fight, and if you perform like that, it's very exhausting. And so that's what we were doing. Some days, even though it was Britain, it was hot. And sometimes when you finished and took off your armour, it was like a human soup pouring out of you. So getting through that was probably the challenge.
(READ: "House of the Dragon" season 3 review: Finally, the show we were promised)
Grief plays a major driver throughout the show. In season two, Lord Corlys lost Rhaenys. How does grief influence Lord Corlys as a leader going into this season?
I think there are two things, really. Grief comes for Corlys this time round and expresses itself, certainly further on as the season progresses, in a form of rage. He is upset, obviously, because he feels that his family has sacrificed an awful lot in this cause for very little reward. If you follow the journey, we've seen him lose his son, then Rhaenys lose her daughter, then his son again, then Rhaenys's grandchild, and then, of course, the most important: his wife.
I often say that the only times you see Corlys truly relaxed, the only times he smiles most freely, are when he's with his wife. And now she's gone, so he's rudderless. He's now trying to forge links with his illegitimate son, partly because that's what his wife asked him to do in Season 2. She said to him, "These boys deserve your acknowledgement because they're your children." So he's trying to do that and it's very hard for him. What I like about Corlys is that he does develop, he does learn, he shows vulnerability. But at the same time, there is still a certain self-righteous rage about the position he finds himself in.
Alyn Hull's monologue at the end of season two must have been a gut punch for Lord Corlys. What can we expect from their father-and-son dynamic?
Have you seen Episode 1?
Yes.
OK, so in that first episode, there's that moment in the cabin before the battle where Corlys says — I forget the exact lines, but the effect of it was — "It was my fault and I'm sorry." And that's such a big thing for him, because he doesn't apologise to anybody. But for him to take that moment and say, "Yeah, it was me, and I'm sorry" — that's a real turning point for these two characters. It doesn't mean things are wonderful and hunky-dory immediately, but it's a huge step.
I don't have children myself, but I think if you're ever in that situation where for whatever reason you've had to leave your children — the relationship didn't work, or whatever it is — and then your grown-up child comes back into your life and is really upset with what you did, there's no excuse. There's nothing you can say to make them understand. All you can do is accept it. And I think that's what Corlys had to do. I also think the other thing about Corlys is that he sees himself in Alyn, a self-made man, and so forth. So this season is about him trying to make up for lost time as much as he can.
Lord Corlys has stood the test of time and survived nine voyages. What is his secret power?
Oh, that's such a good question. Do you know what? I'm going to say it's the love of a good woman. That's it. Because everything he does, he does for his wife. So I think that's it. The love of a good woman. If you can find that, you're golden.
Beautiful. I'm down to my last question. Everyone is fighting for the Iron Throne, and those who get to sit on it, fate's been unkind to them. Would Lord Corlys on the Iron Throne be a wise ending for this character, or do you think it would be the one thing that destroys him?
Oh, that's a good one. That's a question for Ryan [Condal], the showrunner. Would the throne be a good place for Corlys? I think on the outside, yes, I think he'd actually be a good ruler. But I don't think it would be good for him. I don't think he would want that. Ever since the last episode of season one, he's really tried to extricate himself from this conflict, but his wife said no, they should help Rhaenyra.
And it's an interesting thing when you think about power. So many people crave it, search for it, struggle to get it, and then when they get it, it's a double-edged sword. Because now you're the person that people aim at. You're the person with responsibilities. I think the throne would probably be a curse for someone who, let's face it, whenever things get tough, he gets on his ship and goes to sea. Because at sea, if you do things correctly, you live; if you do them incorrectly, you die. It's very simple. There's no grey. But in politics and ruling, there is grey, and I think that would kill him.
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