Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) was a character all Game of Thrones fans loved to hate.
As the secret son of Cersei (Lena Headey) and her brother, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), but outwardly known as the recognized heir of Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), Joffrey was a right royal pain.
Conceited, mean, and petulantly impulsive, Joffrey was an outright horror to everyone he met.
He even spoiled what happens in House of the Dragon before it was even a glimmer in HBO’s eye. Not that we knew that at the time but, now, it means we have to avoid Episode 4 of Season 3 of Game of Thrones in every watch-through.
When he met his fate with a poisoned pie on his wedding day, not a single person cared. We all rejoiced as his face turned purple and he died in his mother’s arms.
However, Joffrey is not Jack Gleeson and, thankfully, fans recognize that.
Separating the Game of Thrones character from the actor
During the official Game of Thrones convention held over the weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Jack Gleeson talked about his experience with fans during his time on HBO’s epic fantasy series.
And, surprisingly, people have managed to separate the character from the actor rather well, giving Gleeson a positive experience wherever he has been confronted by fans.
“Thankfully, I’ve never had any negative fan experiences or anything,” Gleeson said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“There’s still a chance if anybody wants to throw a punch,” he added jokingly.
It’s a rumor that everyone is mean to Jack Gleeson
While Gleeson may be joking around, it turns out many believe that fans of Game of Thrones are mean to the actor when he is out and about in public.
“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,” Gleeson explained.
“I feel like people are extra nice to me because they think people attack me, so maybe I should keep the rumor going.”
But while fans have been lovely to Gleeson, there was one thing he considered to be negative while filming the TV show. Turns out, it was something that he felt affected his friends more than himself, as people asked to be photographed with the Joffrey actor while out in public.
“Whenever I go to a pub all of my friends then just have to become photographers because people give them their phone and then their night is ruined,” Gleeson revealed.
All seasons of Game of Thrones are currently available to watch on HBO.