Game of Thrones actor Jack Gleeson returning to TV for first time since playing Joffrey
Nearly six years after his bloody reign as the reviled King Joffrey came to an end on Game of Thrones, Jack Gleeson is returning to TV — and in a far less sadistic role.
The 27-year-old actor will be joining the upcoming BBC comedy series Out Of Her Mind from British comic Sara Pascoe. The show, as described in a press release from the network, "subverts the traditional sitcom format by combining eccentric characters, animation, and scientific explanation."
Gleeson's portrayal on Thrones earned critical and public acclaim. He was so convincing as the loathsome Joffrey that the actor even said some fans began hating him personally. He left the show after Joffrey's ignominious death in Thrones' sixth season in 2014. The then-21-year-old told EW he planned to take a break from acting at the time.
"I’ve been acting since age 8. I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to," said the media-shy performer. "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."
Macall B. Polay/HBO; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic GAME OF THRONESepisode 32 (season 4, episode 2)2014Pictured:Jack GleesonNEW YORK, NY - APRIL 03: Jack Gleeson attends the "Game Of Thrones" Season 8 NY Premiere on April 3, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)
While he considered becoming a scholar, Gleeson said the lifestyle was too "lonely and isolated." He even joked to EW that although he wasn't taking offers, "When I’m destitute in 10 years time, I’ll accept any script!"
Gleeson's last film role came in 2010, and since departing Thrones, Gleeson hasn't appeared on TV. He didn't leave entertainment completely; in 2016, he brought his puppet show, Bears in Space, to the U.S.
No premiere date has been announced for Out of Mind. Gleeson will costar with Juliet Stevenson, Cariad Lloyd, rapper Scroobius Pip, and more.
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