One Game Of Thrones Actor Never Even Watched The Final Season

Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson never watched the series’ controversial final season. Gleeson portrayed the petulant and powerful Prince Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones seasons one through four, with his character becoming king early on in season 1 due to the death of his father. Despite his death halfway through the show, Joffrey is one of the series’ most memorable characters due to his complex family dynamics, casual cruelty, and shocking actions. Game of Thrones went on for four more seasons after Joffrey’s death, wrapping in 2019 with a final season that has earned heavy criticism from fans of the series due to its rushed quality and underdeveloped characterizations.

As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Gleeson revealed at Warner Bros.’ inaugural Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention in Los Angeles that he didn’t watch Game of Thrones despite starring in the series because he did not like watching himself onscreen. After his character’s death in season 4, he decided not to try watching the show again, saying simply “There was something about it where I was just like, ‘No, I’ll just leave it.’“ However, he didn’t escape the conversations around Game of Thrones‘ final season, saying that his friends “were mostly disappointed“ by the show’s ending. See what Gleeson had to say about season 8 below:

I never actually watched it and that’s an honest thing… Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I don’t have one personally. That’s not a political answer. I just didn’t watch it.

Other Game of Thrones Stars Have Discussed The Final Season

Gleeson’s response is much more diplomatic than his character’s would be, despite his inability to offer his actual opinion on the final season since he didn’t watch it. Several of his co-stars on the show have offered their take on Game of Thrones season 8, reflecting the majority of the audience due to the mixed reactions. While Lord Varys actor Conleth Hill has pointed to the large fan following retained by the show as proof that the backlash to the final season was the result of a “media-led hate campaign“ rather than a reflection of its quality, other Game of Thrones stars have disagreed.

In 2020, Tywin Lannister actor Charles Dance stated that he continued watching the show long after his character’s death in season 4 and was “somewhat underwhelmed” by the ending, going so far as to state that he would sign a petition to remake the last season. Arya Stark actor Maisie Williams rewatched the whole series this year, saying in October that it “definitely fell off at the end.“ Based on these comments, Game of Thrones season 8 was divisive among both audiences and those involved with the show, so it may have been for the best that Gleeson avoided potential disappointment by refraining from viewing.

Is HOTD’s Aegon The New Joffrey?

Gleeson’s role in Game of Thrones remains notorious, with his character going down in pop culture history as one of the most fun television villains to hate. With prequel series House of the Dragon airing its first season this year, many have searched for the Game of Thrones equivalents of the spinoff show’s characters, with Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) earning several comparisons to Joffrey due to his new role as “king” and generally unstable demeanor. Though there are several differences between the two characters, and Aegon hasn’t had much screen time yet in House of the Dragon, perhaps season 2 will cement him as a new version of Joffrey, offering Game of Thrones fans more twisted familiarity within the new series.

Source: Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention (via EW)

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