'House of the Dragon' Season 2 takes us to Winterfell as grief consumes characters in brewing Team Black, Team Green battle
Steve Toussaint teases a 'threat' to the relationship between Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen
Beginning just days after the end of the first season, House of the Dragon Season 2 (premieres June 16 on Crave in Canada, HBO and Max in the U.S.) is set with Westeros on the brink of a civil war, the Dance of the Dragons. Returning cast members include Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Steve Toussaint and Eve Best, but it's Harry Collett's character, Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon, that begins the second season of the hit show.
In the first moments of House of the Dragon Season 2, Jace has journeyed to Winterfell to secure support from House Stark. After being sent by his mother Rhaenyra (D'Arcy), we see Jace meet with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), who is understanding of the support Rhaenyra needs.
"It was obviously quite nerve-wracking, a lot of pressure, but it's good pressure," Collett told Yahoo Canada about being responsible for the opening moments of the season. "It's an honour really, to be honest, and I'm so grateful that my character gets to go to Winterfell and sort of reconnect the fans with that ... place they have seen before."
"It's so nice to sort of welcome the fans back into that world and then get really excited about it. It's just an exciting thing to do and I'm really grateful I'm the person who gets to do it."
Watch House of the Dragon Season 2 on Crave with plans starting at $9.99/month
Collett highlighted that Jace is "very different" in Season 2 of House of the Dragon, particularly after the loss of his younger brother.
"Maybe the new hairstyle helps with that, but I just felt very different this season and I felt like I had a chance to explore new ways of the character," he said. "I just felt a lot more open to try out new things and sort of experiment with Jace."
'Showing some vulnerabilities, to the right people'
Speaking of characters that feel different in Season 2, that's also the case for Toussaint's Corlys Velaryon, who's seemingly leaving the family legacy motivation behind him.
"The majority of Season 1 ... my character is ... pursuing what he thinks is security for his family legacy," Toussaint said. "That changes, to an extent, in the final episode as he recovers from an almost fatal injury."
"It's always exciting as an actor to be able to explore another side to your character. ... This is a man who is grieving, who is showing some vulnerabilities, to the right people. One of the fun things about Season 1 was the scenes that I got to do with with Eve Best, who plays Rhaenys [Targaryen], because I felt that she, Rhaenys, is the one person that Corlys is truly honest with. He's truly himself without putting on any tough facade. We were able to explore that more in Season 2, and that was immensely exciting to me."
What's particularly interesting in the evolution of Corlys is starting this new step in the series, based on George R.R. Martin’s "Fire & Blood," with a character who is moving through the story from a place of grief, after the death of his grandson.
"Say you've got to play a drunk person, one of the things that they always tell you is that most people who are drunk don't want you to see that they're drunk," Toussaint explained. "The same thing, for me, about grief is that he is grieving, but ... he's still going to try and present a facade, but every so often it comes through."
'Rocky roads ahead' for Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys Targaryen
In terms of where Corlys and Rhaenys stand in Season 2, Toussaint teased that there could be "rocky roads ahead."
"Things that Corlys did in his youth come back to haunt the couple and could put this precious relationship under threat," he said. "I think Corlys has to work to maintain this relationship and I think that is the most precious thing to him, actually, his relationship with her."
"But also, ... what I like is we have a couple of scenes there where ... they give you a hint of what they were like ... when they first met, when they were 15, whatever, and first being together. ... That gives you a sense of who they are and the fun that they were. Because I often say that they are the most healthy relationship in the realm, ... because they actually do genuinely love each other."
'What he doesn't know about Westeros is not worth knowing'
Guiding the cast through Martin's lore is co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal, who Collett called a "human Westeros dictionary." Both Collett and Toussaint were quick to praise Condal for being so collaborative and involved in their work on set.
"One of the things that we get to do, which is rare in television, we all got to meet up about a month before we started shooting and we rehearse," Toussaint explained. "We read through the scripts and then each of us who are in different scenes with each other will go off individually, with the director of that particular episode, and discuss what we think the scene means, what we would like from the scene and what we're trying to portray."
Toussaint added that during that process Condal sits in on the scenes and there are discussions back-and-forth to get a portrayal of that particular episode that everyone is happy with.
"He basically acts as the final authority, because what he doesn't know about Westeros is not worth knowing," Toussaint said.
As an example of how specific and generous Condal is as a showrunner, in Season 1 Toussaint made a quick remark about the artifacts in the Hall of Nine, saying that it would be great to know where the artifacts came from so he could have memories attached to each item as his character walked past them.
"[Ryan Condal] came back with a folder, with a history of each of these artifacts," Toussaint revealed. "That is how anal the man is, but luckily he's nice with it."
After being asked about that moment, Condal said it's a reflection of the "incredible obsession and depth" that the crew has making House of the Dragon.
Collett also highlighted that Condal is particularly supportive of the House of the Dragon cast, including taking the time really recognize their hard work.
"One thing Ryan does do, which I haven't seen personally with any other showrunner on any other show, is he will come over, ... even if you're just in for the day, he'll come over and he'll say, 'I saw what you did two weeks ago and you did great,'" Collett shared.
"You get people who say you do great quite a bit, which is lovely, but to hear it come from Ryan, ... for me if he's happy then I'm happy. And I think that is so nice of him to come over and compliment everyone. Or otherwise he'll come over and say, 'I love what you did, but let's try it like this in this scene,' which is just so great because there's always room to improve. ... He's really, really nice and ... he's just a joy to work with."
Watch House of the Dragon Season 2 on Crave with plans starting at $9.99/month
Where to watch 'House of the Dragon' Season 2
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on Sunday, July 16 on at 9:00 p.m. ET on Crave in Canada, making its debut on the same day at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streaming on Max in the U.S.
There will be eight episodes in House of the Dragon Season 2.
