Heads up: there are no spoilers for House of Guinness, but there are for Game of Thrones.
Actor Jack Gleeson was so good as the evil Joffrey Baratheon on Game of Thrones that fans of the show began to hate the actor. That really is a compliment, but it was a little disturbing. There was a lot of talk back in the day as to whether Gleeson could ever overcome his role as the sadistic king, who you can still check out with an HBO Max subscription.
For me, that question has been answered with a resounding YES with his latest role in Netflix’s House of Guinness.
Gleeson Isn’t A Good Guy, But He’s Not A Villain, Either
House of Guinness is loosely based, with some serious artistic liberties, on the real brewing family in Dublin in the 1860s. Gleeson, however, plays a fictional character named Byron Hedges, a Fenian who finds his way into the Protestant Guinness family’s orbit and convinces Edward Guinness (Louis Partridge) to make him the brewery’s representative in the United States.
This is where the fun begins. I won’t spoil anything here, but Hedges is a perfect character for the talented Gleeson, who used his naturally mischievous eyes for evil in Game of Thrones, gets to use them for more fun here. There is a roguish side to the character, but there is also a playful side, and Gleeson brings both to the surface wonderfully. Gone is the wicked immorality, and it’s replaced with playful wit and charm.
Gleeson Briefly Retired From Television And Movies
After King Joffrey’s death, Gleeson stepped away from TV and movies for a little bit. It’s easy to understand why. Audiences weren’t soon going to forget just how evil his character was, and Gleeson could have easily been so typecast that he might have have had trouble finding a gig, despite how incredible he was in Game of Thrones.
Instead, he focused on theater work from 2014 until returning to British TV in 2020. This year, he’s stepped up his workload, appearing in five episodes of The Sandman on Netflix. Now, he’s playing his most visible role to American audiences in more than a decade in House of Guinness, and let’s just say, he has some of the most memorable scenes in the show, and not in a vile, horrifying way he did in his last major part.
It’s So Great To See Gleeson In A Playful Role
As I said, this role is so much more playful than Joffrey ever was. Sure, Joffrey may have been having sadistic fun, but nothing he did ever endeared him to anyone, especially Game of Thrones fans. His death in Season 4 at the so-called “Purple Wedding” had fans popping champagne and celebrating like no other character’s death in TV history. It was completely cathartic for everyone. As a reader of the book series, I knew it was coming, and I still jumped off my couch and cheered.
In House of Guinness, more than anything, Gleeson’s character is fun. He’s naughty, sure, and his motivations are murky, but he’s easy to love as a character. He’s almost leprechaun-like, with his curly locks, bowler hat, and Irish accent, and he’s simply a pure delight. If you’ve not watched the show yet, I highly recommend firing up your Netflix subscription and checking it out.