The original post: /r/television by /u/PrestigeArrival on 2025-07-31 19:03:35+00:00.
Every time Gleeson is mentioned in a post or comment there’s inevitably a dozen people talking about how terrible it is that he was harassed so badly by fans that he had to quit acting. The idea is that because King Joffrey is so hateable, people aren’t able to separate the character from the real-life actor.
In truth, Jack said at the LA Comic Con in 2016 that his interactions with fans were always pleasant and he doesn’t know why that rumor is out there.
Thankfully, I’ve never had any negative fan experiences or anything. There’s still a chance, if anybody wants to throw a punch.
A lot of people come up to me because I guess this rumor started that people were horrible to me on the street or I get attacked… whereas I’ve never had one negative experience. I feel like people are extra nice to me because they think people attack me, so maybe I should keep the rumor going
In reality, he stepped back from acting because it just just starting to feel like a job instead of a passion.
The answer isn’t interesting or long-winded. 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.
He’s done a couple projects since GoT ended, so I’m hoping that he’ll be one of those actors that just picks up projects that feel interesting or special to him. That he’s able to feel passion in the work that he’s doing.
Hopefully this annoying rumor will drink some poison wine and die sometime soon