Our next guest is known to millions as Lord of the Tides, master of Driftmark, and the head of House Valerian. Lord Corliss is back for season 2 of House of the Dragon. Let's take a look.

I mistrust this silence. Damon flies when we most need his hand at the awe. Devotion has never sat well with him.

Steve Toussaint joins us. Now, what happened to your hair? I let her home. Hey, thank you so much for coming on the show. Really appreciate it.

Oh, thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here.

How would you describe, for people who haven't had a chance to see the show, Lord Corliss?

Oh, goodness. Lord Corliss is... Well, first of all, he's the most powerful man in the realm. He is a man for whom there is no gray. It's either black or it's white. He is a man of action, a very rich man. And really, for this world that we're in, he's a man who actually loves and listens to his wife.

Last season, he really was involved in his own personal war, but now there's really this other war brewing for the throne. What role is he going to take?

He's basically going to be... He's like an advisor to the Queen Reniera, played by Emma, because the realm is now split into two parts, Team Black and Team Green. We feel that Team Black has a legitimate claim and that Team Green are usurpers. Him being the leader of the greatest navy in the realm. He's a great asset, and he will be helping Team Black in the war effort.

What drew you to this role?

Oh, my goodness. Well, first of all, it was a role you couldn't turn down, but also it was a man of complexity Yeah, it was interesting. The thing that I liked when I first met Ryan and Miguel, who were our showrunners in Season 1, we didn't talk about him being a sailor or anything like that or a warrior. We talked about him being a father, a man who was trying his best to secure the legacy of his family and the safety of his kids in a very clumsy way. But that was his driving force. I thought, Yeah, that's an interesting way to explore this particular character in this particular world.

One thing that we've talked about on this show before is the backlash that some black actors have had for entering into the sci-fi fantasy space. I'm curious if you felt that personally and what you feel about that criticism.

Yes, I did. It was publicized that there were some people who immediately I really felt that my casting was completely wrong. That I could understand in the sense that when you read a piece of fiction, if you read it, you have an image in your head as to what that person should look like. That's understandable. I mean, Daniel Craig, when he was cast as Bond, there was a bigger backlash because he was blonde. You get that. But what I objected to was then people racially abusing me. That is an issue that we still have to come to terms with. I think most of us are on the right side of history who to create programs and tell stories that reflect the world that we live in. Because I believe that every drama that we make, wherever it's set, it still reflects the world and the times in which it was made. This is the world that we live in. We are people of all shades and colors, people of all genders and so forth who now have a voice. I think television drama should be at the forefront of that, showing people that that is possible.

There will always be those naysayers who in their little bedrooms, they send out their little emails.Anonymously. Yeah, but we can't listen to those people.

Game of Thrones, obviously, was known for its twists and turns. How much of that can we expect this season?

Hey, it's Westeros. There's going to be a lot of that, a lot of conspiring, a lot of blood A lot of letting, a lot of betrayal, the usual stuff, but also, hopefully, a lovely emotional journey, too, for an awful lot of the characters, including Calles.

The battles are just really brewing at this point. Who do you think should take the Iron Throne?

I really believe that my character is on the right side because those people who've watched it will know that the king, before he died, said, My heir should be my daughter. That's Rinera. We had lords coming in and bending the knee and saying, Yes, we will follow your wishes. Now, you can't go against that..

Steve Toussaint, we thank you so much for coming by. I really appreciate it. We want to let our viewers know House of the Dragons, Season 2, premieres June 16th on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.