‘House of the Dragon’ Actor Steve Toussaint Addresses Controversial Episode 2 Moment Involving His Character’s Daughter
Millions of viewers tuned in to watch episode 2 of House of the Dragon. While fans have been enjoying the Game of Thrones prequel so far, one moment in episode 2 left fans conflicted. The House of the Dragon scene in question involved Lord Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) daughter and Toussaint addresses the reasoning behind this controversial moment.
Fans had mixed reactions to a scene in ‘House of the Dragon’ episode 2
In episode 2 of House of the Dragon, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is still dealing with losing his wife and son. However, he is quickly assigned the task of finding a new wife who can give him more heirs. Corlys offers to Viserys his daughter’s hand in marriage as a way of combining the two houses. However, his daughter, Laena (Nova Fouellis-Mosé), is only 12 years old.
Many fans had conflicting feelings about this moment. While it does make sense for the setting of House of the Dragon, the proposition of Laena and Viserys marrying is disturbing. What’s even more awkward is when Laena tells Viserys she doesn’t have to sleep with her until she’s 14. Fortunately, the series does not move forward with this scenario, but the idea of it is awkward enough.
Steve Toussaint addresses the controversial moment from ‘House of the Dragon’
In an interview with The New York Times, Steve Toussaint responded to this moment from House of the Dragon. When asked whether Corlys would have any second thoughts about this decision, Toussaint says Corlys is someone who sticks to the rules, even if he doesn’t like it. He may not want to offer his daughter to Viserys, but it’s a way he can achieve power within the rules of this world.
“The thing about Corlys is he is a stickler for the rules,” Toussaint said. “Despite the fact that he felt that his wife (Eve Best) is the more capable person to be on the throne as opposed to Viserys, that is what [the Great Council] chose. He thinks they made a mistake, but, ‘These are the rules that I’ve been given. This is how we have decided power dynamics work in that world. OK, well in that case, I will do this.’”
“So in Episode 1, when Otto Hightower [Rhys Ifans] says to Viserys, ‘We’ve got to talk about your succession,’ it is Corlys, despite the fact that he wants his wife to be on the throne, who says: ‘No, no, we have an heir. It’s Daemon (Matt Smith).’ Now, it may not be to everyone’s liking, but that’s what the rules are. When there is a dispute about Rhaenyra’s (Milly Alcock) position, he again is like, ‘Well, her father chose her, and so we have to go with that.’ I think he’s like, ‘I don’t like these rules, but these are the rules. What can I do to thrive in them?’”
Viserys’ decision could have major consequences moving forward
Viserys did not choose to marry Laena, and instead chose Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) as his next wife. Corlys was infuriated by this decision and turned to Daemon for a possible alliance. While marrying Laena would have been an awkward situation, many of his council members told Viserys it was the wisest decision since Corlys is very powerful. We will have to wait and see the impact of Viserys’ decision in episode 3 of House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max.
