• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Jack Gleeson says working on Game of Thrones caused him to lose his passion for acting

Home> Film & TV

Published 14:09 20 Feb 2023 GMT

Jack Gleeson says working on Game of Thrones caused him to lose his passion for acting

After playing Joffrey Baratheon in the hit HBO series, actor Jack Gleeson took a break from acting.

Katherine Sidnell

Katherine Sidnell

It seems playing one of the most hated characters on TV was too much for Jack Gleeson, as the actor revealed that being in Game of Thrones caused him to lose his passion for acting.

The Irish actor played the villainous King Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series, and first appeared as the villainous heir to the throne back in 2011.

Despite being in one of the biggest TV shows in the world, Gleeson admitted that the experience made him less ‘passionate’ about acting as it became his full-time career.

Gleeson would eventually speak about his decision to leave acting during a talk at University College Dublin, after he finished filming on the HBO fantasy epic.

“It really come down to just not deriving as much enjoyment as I did from acting as I used to,” he told students, adding that he’d begun acting as a child for fun.

Advert

While he did land his dream job, Gleeson found the reality to be very different.

“I started acting when I was eight and really really loved it, you know. All I wanted to be was an actor when I grew up,” he said, referring to his earlier role in 2005’s Batman Begins with Christian Bale and another dragon themed fantasy, Reign of Fire alongside Gerard Butler.

Jack Gleeson starred as the muderous boy King Joffrey.
PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

He admitted: “For some reason, I don’t know it became a bit kind of mechanical and less kind of passionate when I started Game of Thrones."

Advert

Having started the show at just 19, the actor began to lose his enthusiasm for the series as he grew up.

However, he insisted it had nothing to with how Game of Thrones was filmed.

“I don’t think it’s got anything to do with the way they film it,” he added, saying: “I think when it became less of a recreation and more of a profession, it kind of put more pressure on the acting itself and made it a tiny bit less enjoyable.”

Joffrey was killed off in season four.
PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Advert

After his character was brutally killed off during his own wedding, Gleeson took a break from acting and even went on to have an academic career.

Though he’s not announced he’s returned to acting, the Irish actor has starred in a few projects since leaving the show in series four.

He’s even set to appear alongside Taken’s Liam Neeson and Bafta award winning actress Kerry Condon, in the upcoming thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners.

Whatever he decides to do next, we are happy to have Jack Gleeson back on our screens.

Featured Image Credit: dpa picture alliance / Alamy

Topics: Game of Thrones, Film and TV, Celebrity

Katherine Sidnell
Katherine Sidnell

Katherine is an entertainment journalist with a love of all things nerdy. Starting out writing Doctor Who fan fiction as a kid, she has gone on to interview the likes of Matt Damon, James May and Dua Lipa to name a few. Published in The Sun, The Daily Mail and Evening Standard - she now joins Ladbible as resident nerd in chief.

X

@ksidnell

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
9 hours ago
13 hours ago
21 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Happy Gilmore 2 director defends movie's shocking twist that left fans 'extremely disappointed'

    Kyle Newacheck has spoken out about Adam Sandler's decision to kill off Happy's wife in the movie

    Film & TV
  • 9 hours ago

    Fans are demanding an entire new series after streaming 'excellent' thriller that 'needs more publicity'

    The movie has been reviewed well by critics, and fans are loving it

    Film & TV
  • 13 hours ago

    New Netflix series praised for 'incredible' fight scenes and 'no love story' has already been viewed for 85,000,000 hours

    The hit show clocked more than 85 million views in less than a month, with viewers raving over the 'must-watch' production

    Film & TV
  • 21 hours ago

    Netflix to add '11/10' comedy classic and sequel labeled the ‘perfect 90s movie’

    'Won't get any movies like these anymore'

    Film & TV
  • Game of Thrones scene that ‘ended’ stuntwoman's career and led to $9.4 million settlement
  • 'Criminally underrated' Netflix series is being labeled 'better than Game of Thrones'
  • Jason Momoa says he was ‘completely in debt' after Game Of Thrones
  • 6-year-old girl has passport rejected because she’s named after Game of Thrones character