‘House of the Dragon’: Clinton Liberty Explains Dragonrider Lore & Addam Meeting Corlys

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7, “The Red Sowing.”]

Rhaenyra has found her dragonriders. In true Game of Thrones fashion, House of the Dragon delivered its most exciting episode of the season one week before its finale, at last putting Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) theory about dragonseeds to the ultimate test. She and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) were right that Targaryen bastards could be accepted by a dragon, but not all. Many lives were lost in the search for riders for Vermithor and Silverwing. But found, they were.

Just like in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, there are now three dragonriders: Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Hugh (Kieran Bew), and Ulf (Tom Bennett). Addam was chosen by Seasmoke in Episode 6 and was recognized by his father, Corlys (Steve Toussaint), in Episode 7 for the first time because of it.

Here, Liberty breaks down what this means for Addam and older brother Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and teases what’s to come in next week’s season finale with TV Insider

Did you film a scene depicting Addam’s first flight with Seasmoke?

Clinton Liberty: As of now, all I can say is, the fans will just have to wait and see.

Addam finally gets recognition from his father, albeit very briefly in Episode 7. Is it enough for him? Is that all he wanted from Corlys, just notice me and I can move on? Or does he want more?

Definitely notice me as a start, because the core of who Addam is as a person is he’s always strived to get more in life, but at the foundation of all of that is so that he could be seen by his father. That scene, that’s the first time he’s ever had a conversation with his father, let alone being acknowledged and being in the same room alone to just talk to his father. So the fact that he’s there and the fact that Corlys says, “Well done,” those two words mean the world to him because that’s all he ever wanted growing up. It’s the start of what he wants, but he wants a more established relationship with his father that goes deeper. But this is definitely the start of that.

I’m like, why can’t you say more, Corlys? “Well done.” That’s it?! He can ride a dragon! Come on. Well done?!

I know! I know. [Laughs]

Not the appropriate emotional response to something as cool as that.

And it’s quite interesting because they’ve never really had a conversation [laughs]. Literally in the previous episode, Addam pointed out, he literally ignores him. The only person he really talks to is Alyn, so he’s never had that chat or talk to Corlys about anything. He’s just in the back end doing his job, making sure everything goes smoothly. So the fact that they’re in the same room and he’s talking to him means so much to Addam, but he doesn’t expect the “well done.” Even just those two words, they change everything for him. Everything he wanted, finally, it’s starting.

Theo Whiteman / HBO

You don’t physically do much in that scene, but your face says everything about it. You can see that Addam is a child right there. It was very moving for me. I wonder, if the Corlys of it all were not involved, would Addam still have this ambition for a grander life, or is it because he believes that he maybe deserves more because of his family?

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That’s a great question. Addam definitely does want more. A big part of the reason he does want more is to be seen by Corlys, but another reason is for his brother. He also believes that his brother deserves more and deserves better in life. And if he’s able to get more for himself, that’s something he can share with his brother, because Alyn is all Addam has had his whole life. So even if Corlys wasn’t really in the picture, Addam would want more for Alyn so they could experience a better life together. He wants to experience life’s highest things, but he wants to experience that with Alyn because they have such a strong bond with each other. If Corlys wasn’t in the picture, Alyn would definitely also be a big contributor to the fact that he wants more for his life.

It sounds like, based on this new development, he would really want Alyn to be a dragonrider with him.

We’ll just have to see! We’ll have to see how that plays out.

In that opening scene with Rhaenyra, is Addam hoping that she will accept him as family one day?

Definitely, but at the moment, it’s not really something that’s going through his mind. He’s just trying to survive the conversation. The queen is the highest of the highs in this world. And as you’ve said already, Addam’s aspiration is for more, and it doesn’t get higher than the queen, the royal family. Basically at the moment, it’s a whole new world for Addam. He’s not used to this level of confrontation, so he’s just trying to tiptoe around and say the right words, and hopefully she accepts him. And then from there he can further establish a better relationship. But right now, he’s just trying to make sure that he survives this conversation.

Theo Whiteman / HBO

And would saying that Corlys is his father get him killed, in his mind?

Exactly. But that’s the thing he doesn’t know, though. He has no idea because he doesn’t understand the politics of this world. He doesn’t understand the politics of the war or the blacks and the greens. He’s just a shipwright. So him coming into this all of a sudden with a dragon, he has this responsibility to take care of his family because he doesn’t know if he says anything about Corlys, will that affect Corlys or will it affect Alyn? So he feels that if he just bears the full consequences of the conversation, if it should go wrong, it should all go wrong on him alone and not affect anyone else.

It’s dangerous to be a bastard in this world, so he knows that too. I wonder if that’s what he’s protecting himself from when he’s not telling Rhaenyra the truth.

It’s definitely one the reasons he doesn’t insinuate anything about Corlys, because he does understand that that is highly frowned upon. But he also understands that nobody knows that he’s the son of Corlys. If that’s something he should say to the queen, he doesn’t really know how that would go down. And that wouldn’t be a great way to start a relationship with his father.

He has no idea that bastards are about to be welcomed. Is he truly loyal to Rhaenyra, or is bending the knee just what serves him best in this moment?

He does believe that she is the rightful heir to the throne, and he genuinely is loyal to her and will do anything for the queen and for the blacks. It just so happens that his loyalty to her does coincide with his want to move up in the world. It just happened beautifully.

Corlys, I think, must be wrong about who in their family makes Addam and Alyn dragonriders. What are we to make of that moment when Corlys says to Alyn that Velaryons are no dragonlords?

It’s interesting because clearly there’s more to this situation that meets the eye. We clearly don’t know. That’s the beautiful thing about this season is that we’re learning new things about the world of Westeros and who is able to ride a dragon and who isn’t. Because as we saw in the previous episode, Ser Darklyn had everything it took to ride a dragon, but he wasn’t accepted. But Addam, for some reason, was accepted with his blood and the blood he shares with Laenor. So we’re learning new things, and it seems that Corlys might not know all there is to know about dragonriders.

Ollie Upton / HBO

How was it working with Kieran and Tom, who play Hugh and Ulf?

The thing about all the cast in the show is that they’re absolutely just the best human beings. We all really looked after each other. I learned so much from them because they’re practically veterans in the industry, and I soaked up as much as I could, and they gave me so much advice, and it was just fun. I couldn’t stop laughing because they’re two of the funniest people I’ve ever worked with. The whole time we were shooting together, I just couldn’t stop laughing. It was extremely fun. I loved it.

What can you say about what to expect from the three dragonseeds in next week’s finale?

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I would just say expect the unexpected. That’s what I can say.

What do you think makes Addam a good soldier for this conflict?

He has a good heart. In this war, everybody’s heart is so hardened, because they want the throne so bad, and they want victory and success at all costs. I think that’s also a part of the reason why Seasmoke chose Addam, because he’s just a goodhearted guy. He genuinely wants to fight for the right cause, through the right ways, and for the right reasons. I feel like there’s a lot of restriction within him, just like there is with Rhaenyra. She doesn’t just go out and fight with dragons for no reason. It’s always strategic. And I think that’s because she has a good heart and he has a good heart. That’s what makes him a really good soldier and a good ally for Rhaenyra at this time.

I see a parallel between Alyn and Addam and Viserys [Paddy Considine, who made another cameo in Episode 7] and Daemon. It is this elder brother who isn’t interested in receiving a power that’s been bestowed to him, and the younger brother who wants a grander life than the one he’s been given. What do you think of that?

That’s a beautiful comparison. I never actually thought about that until now. That’s so true. Except the only differentiating fact is that maybe — in Clinton’s opinion — Daemon is a bit more ruthless and can sort of do anything to get what he wants. I feel like Addam is a little bit more softhearted and kindhearted and considers everyone.

Oh, I don’t think that’s even opinion. I think that’s fact.

[Laughs] Do you know what I mean? I feel like Addam’s going to be asking for people’s opinions before he just goes out and does whatever he wants.

What can you say about whether you and Abubakar will be in Season 3?

I can’t say much other than I’m still just trying to get over the fact that Season 2 has been so amazing so far. My mind is still on Season 2. I haven’t ventured to the mind space of even looking further.

House of the Dragon, Season 2 Finale, Sunday, August 4, HBO, Streaming on Max