‘Game of Thrones’: Why Jack Gleeson Retired from Acting After Playing Joffrey
Over the past seven seasons, Game of Thrones has become a cult classic. The show keeps you on your toes and never lets you rest for a minute. From the very first episode, it becomes clear that no characters are safe and that however you think the story is going to play, out is probably not at all what is going to happen.
One of the most iconic and hated characters in the whole series was Joffrey Baratheon, the eldest of Queen Cersei’s children, who eventually became king. If you’ve seen the show then you know how absolutely horrible Joffrey was. If you haven’t seen the show, then all you need to know about Joffrey is that he had his fiance’s father’s head cut off, and that wasn’t even the worst thing he did.
How did King Joffrey die?
King Joffrey had one of the most iconic deaths in the history of Game of Thrones. He was poisoned and died in the arms of his mother in front of all of the nobles at his own wedding. His death was what spurred his mother into hunting for vengeance.
What happened to Jack Gleeson after Game of Thrones?
Jack Gleeson played the role of Joffrey from 2011 to 2014. While the show was a huge hit, Gleeson didn’t necessarily like acting for a living.
In 2014, he told The Independent that he had only intended to act as a hobby and that it wasn’t what he wanted to do in the future.
After his role on the show wrapped, Gleeson decided to retire from acting.
Why did Gleeson quit acting?
When asked why he decided to stop acting at the height of his career, Gleeson told Entertainment Weekly that he just wasn’t enjoying it anymore.
“The answer isn’t interesting or long-winded,” he told the outlet. “I’ve been acting since age 8. I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to. And now there’s the prospect of doing it for a living, whereas up until now it was always something I did for recreation with my friends, or in the summer for some fun. I enjoyed it. When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It’s not like I hate it, it’s just not what I want to do.
Initially, he got into the hobby because it was something that he liked to do and in the beginning of Game of Thrones, it was still fun.
“It was just fun,” he said of portraying Joffrey. “To be able to not be yourself for five minutes, half-an-hour, all day. I wouldn’t say it’s therapeutic, but it’s fun to think somebody else’s thoughts, especially a character like Joffrey. It’s a nice relief to day-to-day life. “
But once the death scene was finally filmed, Gleeson called the ending a relief.
What has Gleeson been up to since Game of Thrones?
After the show ended, Gleeson studied theology and philosophy at Trinity College in Dublin. Since then, he’s been living a relatively quiet life. He did, however, come out to the Game of Thrones final season premiere party to reunite with his former castmates.
Read More: ‘Game of Thrones’: All the Spoilers You Need to Know
Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
