House of the Dragon actor reveals real reason Corlys dared to attack Queen Rhaenyra like that

House of the Dragon season three is delivering shocking scenes after shocking scenes, but one that really stood out was Corlys Velaryon completely losing it with Queen Rhaenyra.

After everything he’s sacrificed for her claim, Corlys asks Rhaenyra to legitimise Addam and Alyn. She refuses, saying doing it so early into her reign could raise more questions about her own sons’ parentage. Well, fair.

But Corlys didn’t think that. Instead, he openly calls her out, brings up Jace, Luke and Joffrey being bastards and even throws Jace’s death back in her face. I was just sitting there thinking… where was Daemon? Because the last time someone spoke to Rhaenyra like that, he lost his head.

So, why wasn’t Corlys scared he’d be next?

Steve Toussaint says Corlys has simply reached his limit

via HBO

Speaking to Variety, Steve Toussaint explained that Corlys isn’t acting out of arrogance.

“He’s at the end of his tether. He’s lost his wife. And he’s lost his castle. His fleet has been decimated. He’s lost a grandson. What else are you going to take from me?” the actor said.

Basically, after losing Rhaenys, watching Driftmark suffer and sacrificing so much for Rhaenyra’s cause, Corlys has stopped worrying about protecting himself.

Toussaint continued, “He doesn’t really care anymore. He’s not worried about the consequences because, as far as he sees it, what else can you do to me? You’ve taken everything. The only thing I have left is these boys, and I need to make sure they’re okay.”

He also said, “The only thing that he’s got going, the only thing that’s keeping him going is, ‘I need to set up these two boys.'”

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Corlys has actually never been afraid of death

Toussaint also revealed there’s another reason Corlys can speak to Rhaenyra without fearing for his life. And it actually goes all the way back to a deleted season one scene.

The actor explained there was originally a sequence where Corlys almost died in the Stepstones after getting a huge wound to his throat. He fell into the sea believing he was about to die before eventually being rescued. Although the scene was cut, Toussaint said it completely shaped how he plays the character.

“That always stayed with me for these last few years, because it meant to me that he wasn’t afraid to die and that death was always near him, but he always had reasons to live: his children, his wife, and so forth.”

Now, though, those reasons have almost all disappeared. As Toussaint explained, “At this stage now, those people don’t exist anymore.” The only thing Corlys has left is making sure Addam and Alyn are taken care of, which is exactly why he’s willing to risk everything by standing up to the queen.

It also changes their relationship from the books

via HBO

This confrontation is actually much bigger than it is in Fire & Blood. In George R.R. Martin’s book, Rhaenyra is hesitant at first but eventually agrees to legitimise Addam and Alyn after Jacaerys encourages her. The argument never explodes as it does in the show.

So, by changing this scene, House of the Dragon is giving Corlys a much more personal reason to lose faith in Rhaenyra, and it makes his eventual break from her feel a lot more emotional too.

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