Dragons, wars, and battles for power return in the third season of the series *House of the Dragon*, whose true heart lies in a family drama for actors Steve Toussaint and Phoebe Campbell, who see parallels between the struggle for control and its consequences in the fictional world of Westeros and today’s reality.
To mark the premiere of the new series this Monday on HBO Max, EFE spoke with the actors from this production set in George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” universe, which takes place 200 years before the original series and features new intrigues and power struggles within House Targaryen.
Toussaint plays Corlys Velaryon, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Westeros during the Dance of the Dragons, which pitted the dynasty against each other for the Iron Throne, and Campbell plays Rhaena Targaryen, his granddaughter, who struggles to find her place within her powerful family.
After two seasons of conspiracies, alliances, and betrayals over the succession dispute within House Targaryen—with dragons serving as the primary source of power for Rhaenyra’s and Aegon’s factions— the third installment of the “Game of Thrones” prequel picks up the story with the long-awaited Battle of the Throat, featuring blood, fire, and plenty of action.
Toussaint says that both *House of the Dragon* and its “predecessor,” *Game of Thrones*, are “at their core, family dramas,” and believes that what sets this universe apart from other fantasy series is the interpersonal relationships.
Beyond dragons and battles, the series explores power, heritage, and family—which, as the actor points out, “you can’t choose”—and how his characters deal with that issue is one of the show’s main themes.
Toussaint cites as an example that the audience can relate to the insecurity of a character like Rhaena, who doesn’t have a dragon but “desperately tries to prove her worth to this family, feeling deeply inferior.”
“I think that’s one of the things people appreciate—the connection they feel with others,” he emphasizes, to which Campbell adds that the caliber of the series’ cast is what sets it apart from other epic fantasy shows.
“House of the Dragon” premiered its third season
“There are so many things people can relate to,” says the actress, whose character this season, she says, “has gotten to where she needs to be.”
According to Toussaint, Corlys Velaryon is “in a vulnerable position” and will face “uncharted territory” with situations he is not used to, and he will try to make amends for the mistakes he made.
The actor points out that various factions in the series exercise power in very different ways; some “without caring about the less fortunate or the weakest,” while others try to be “a little more responsible in that regard, because power can be a privilege but also a responsibility.”
Without naming names, he believes that in today’s world there are leaders who “could exercise their power more responsibly” and that “this is not something to be taken lightly.” “Your actions have consequences that can be far-reaching,” he emphasizes.
“We have people who meddle in matters that are none of their business. They have no right to do so. Or, just because they’re rich, they think they can comment on what’s happening there without having a clue,” he says, drawing a parallel with the series in which “the innocent suffer the consequences.”
For Campbell, fiction depicts “a world of extremes,” and in a way, that’s how reality is right now as well. “We literally show war. There is a lot of war in the world, and the parallel is that, when you’re at war, war isn’t something insignificant—it comes at an enormous cost,” he said, according to Agencia EFE.