Steve Toussaint: ‘House of the Dragon fans thought I was dating my co-star’

‘History does not remember blood, it remembers names.’

House of the Dragon fans will certainly never forget the name Corlys Velaryon. Played by Steve Toussaint, the Sea Snake is a force to be reckoned with on the ocean, and is the Hand of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy).

But he hasn’t had an easy road, to say the least. Tragedy has continually befallen House Velaryon, with Corlys suffering the death of his daughter, the supposed death of his son, and the death of his wife, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), who perished in battle against the Greens.

Despite his ongoing devastation, the motivation to keep going ‘stems back to his wife’, Steve tells Metro, speaking to us from Madrid on the day that season 3 premiered this week, after the opening episode finally revealed the outcome of the bloody Battle of the Gullet.

‘Prior to her demise, she said to him, “We have to help [Rhaenyra] in her quest for the throne because hers is a rightful claim.” She also says to him, “I know who your two sons are, I’ve always known, and you have to recognise them because it’s not their fault that you were lousy to them.” So, as he says in season two, everything I do now I do for her.’

He continues: ‘A combined sense of injustice, indignation and rage is what propels him through this season. He’s lost so much, a lot of it in this cause for very little return.’

The Battle of the Gullet – a pivotal battle that takes place between the Greens and the Blacks – was supposed to mark the end of the second season, but instead, fans had to wait two years to see how it unfolded. It ended with the shocking death of a key character and the loss of a dragon, in a clash that took around two months to rehearse.

While the fighting itself was a spectacle of swords, arrows and dragon fire, Steve is glad that the show didn’t neglect the ‘emotional journey’ of the characters, as they fought tooth and nail for their survival. 

‘As Abu [Salim] said, who plays Alyn, “When you’re doing a fight, every blow is meant to be the last blow. Even though you know that choreography is 20 shots, each one of them is meant to be the last one.” With that in mind, that becomes a lot more emotionally challenging.’

At the end of the episode, Corlys is nowhere to be seen (although, as avid Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans will know, never presume a character is dead if the body isn’t shown). But aside from the Lord of the Tides, there’s another person glaringly missing from House of the Dragon – Rhaenys.

Having spoken to Steve and Eve about House of the Dragon before, I can attest that their chemistry is just as dynamic in real life as it is on screen – so much so that he admits that many fans thought that they were genuinely together romantically.

‘People used to often ask whether I was actually in a relationship with Eve Best,’ he shares jovially. ‘I asked her, she said, “Oh, yeah, they asked me that a lot as well.”’

While it’s a shame that Rhaenys is no longer physically present in the show, Steve has plenty of scene partners with whom he also has sizzling chemistry, in a different sense. One being Rhaenyra actor Emma.

I remark that seeing Rhaenyra and Corlys together is like a chess match, as while they’re allies, they often feel like opponents at the same time.

‘Absolutely,’ he replies. ‘When he was in her presence, he admired her, and he felt that she was the right person to rule. But whenever he was apart, he was constantly like, everything this woman touches turns to dust. They have a very complicated relationship, and it gets more so this season.’

Astonishingly, we’re now over halfway through House of the Dragon, as it’s been confirmed that the series is going to end with season four. Steve, who’s previously starred in The Knock, Line of Duty and Small Axe: Red, White and Blue, ‘sometimes forgets’ that people actually watch it after filming has ended.

‘It’s been wonderful to be a part of something where so many people are invested,’ the 61-year-old says.

‘It’s mixed feelings about the fact that we’re coming towards the end, because on the one hand, I have had so much fun playing this, and I really do like the people that I work with. But as an actor, you’re always looking to try something different. I’m going to try and enjoy whatever part that I play in the subsequent season if I make it that far, but everything has to come to an end.’

Fortunately for Steve, he has an exciting project on the horizon, a film called A Blue Butterfly that he’s written himself, in which he stars as the lead character, Sentwali.

‘Years ago, I had done a movie about the Rwandan genocide [called Shooting Dogs], and I was fascinated by the stories that were coming out at the time. I decided that I wanted to tell a story about somebody living with the consequences of that, and so that’s what I did,’ he outlines.

‘I wrote this thing, and then we set about casting it, and all these wonderful actors said, “Yeah, I’ll be in it.” To be able to portray a character that has an inner turmoil on the surface just to survive, to exist, but also underneath all these raging things happening, this guilt, this need for redemption, and this need for human contact, to be able to play that on a set, and go, “Oh my god, I wrote this, and these people are involved”.

‘It was a wonderful experience to make that movie, and hopefully, towards the end of this year, people will get to see it. It’s called A Blue Butterfly.’

Helming his own psychological drama, Steve has come a long way since the start of his acting career. He originally thought that becoming an actor was a pipe dream, as he ‘didn’t know anybody who was an actor from my neighbourhood’, he told Fabric magazine in 2022.

He previously revealed that watching Gary Oldman, who also grew up in south London, inspired him to pursue acting more seriously, as the legendary actor proved to him his dream was possible. So has he had the chance to tell the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy star what he means to him?

‘Not yet,’ he reveals. ‘I sort of live for moments like that, where I get to meet people who have inspired me, but no, not yet. I had seen him in the TV film The Firm, and then Prick Up Your Ears. It was like two completely different people; it was extraordinary. 

‘Added to the fact that he’s from where I grew up in south-east London, it was like, God, if someone from New Cross can do that, then maybe I’ve got a chance. I long for the day that I get to meet him and go, “You man, you did it, you were amazing,” because he’s just one of the finest of his generation.’

Perhaps a role in Slow Horses in future? ‘You never know, you never know,’ he laughs in response.

First things first – Corlys needs to make it out alive from the Battle of the Gullet, as Rhaenyra continues on her quest to sit on the Iron Throne.

Will the Sea Snake achieve glory, or suffer even more tragedy? Nothing is ever certain in Westeros.

House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO Max, Sky Atlantic and NOW, with new season 3 episodes released on Mondays.