There are two types of adapters in Hollywood, those who are loyal to the source, like it is the word of God, and those who wish to loosely follow it, and the foundations of something new on top of the pre-existing work. While many exist in the blurry lines between these two categories, there is no denying that their conflicts with each other are the reason why the industry is so afraid of adapting works.
As more and more episodes of House of the Dragon get released, it is becoming evidently clear that the series is straying away from the formula of Game of Thrones and from the source material. While many fans and readers are upset about such an approach, the series has been getting an increasing amount of praise from critics.
Amid this civil war, Steve Toussaint, who plays the role of Corlys Velaryon, recently commented on his character and his relationship with the books. While many fans may be upset with what he has to say, his approach is, perhaps for the better.
Steve Toussaint Has Not Read Fire & Blood
During an interview with IndieWire, House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint was asked if he had read the books that the series was based on. George R.R. Martin’s entire series, Fire & Blood, has been regarded as a literary classic, and for good reason. The actor started by talking about how when everyone was signed on and filming began on the first season of the show, the entire cast received signed copies from the writer.
When we started shooting Season 1 day, George Martin sent us all signed copies, but I chose not to read it.
Despite the honor bestowed on him, Toussaint revealed that he has never read the books. This was a choice he purposefully made in order to have a clear distinction between the character that he was trying to create, and the one that already existed on ink and paper.
It is quite famously known in Hollywood that adaptations rarely ever follow the source material well. Changes are often made for the convenience of studios and crew, turning the once-beloved story into something different; at least to a certain degree.
It would seem that when Toussaint was deciding not to read the books, this aspect of Hollywood influenced his decision.
Steve Toussaint’s Approach May Be Best For House of the Dragon
After revealing that he had never read the Fire & Blood book and never intends to in the near future, Steve Toussaint elaborated on why he chose such a controversial path. While many fans may criticize the actor for his approach, his reasoning behind it makes a lot more sense. Knowing the disloyalty that productions can have towards their source material, Toussaint did not want to fall in love with a specific part of his character or the story, only for it to not be put in.
They’re two different mediums, but also I was just concerned that I would read something in the book and fall in love with that particular thing, and then Miguel (Sapochnik) or Ryan (Condal) would go “Oh we’re not going that way,” and I’d be like “oh but he does that in the book!” So I thought, no, no. I am portraying this television version of him.
The actor did not want to waste time trying to convince the showrunners and creators about adding something they had no intention of adding. Wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict and being willing to focus on building his own vision for the character, Toussaint decided against reading the books.
There are plethora of people who follow me who are quite happy to tell me what is going to be happening and so forth, and that gives them joy. That’s great. But no, I chose to stick with just the script. Maybe I’ll read it whenever my character is dead.
He did, however, add that the books would not be completely untouched by him, as once he is done playing the character, he would go through them and compare the two versions of the character.
House of the Dragon is available for streaming on Max.
