Hell hath no fury like a Game of Thrones fan on the internet when they hate a character. One of the most memorable characters from the HBO fantasy series who is especially disliked is Joffrey Baratheon, who was one of the rudest, most wicked people on the show. However, Jack Gleeson, the actor behind the young king of Westeros, recently revealed that despite his character's bad reputation, he’s never had a “negative fan experience” when meeting GOT fans.
During a Q&A at a Game of Thrones convention, Gleeson talked about his interactions with fans, and he noted that, despite how unlikable his character is, the viewers he meets are super nice to him. The actor said, via EW:
Thankfully, I've never had any negative fan experiences or anything.... There's still a chance, if anybody wants to throw a punch.
Gleeson also heard a rumor as to why fans have been so nice to him, and it’s pretty wild, luckily this never happened. The actor recalled the story, saying:
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.
Even when he has to take photos with fans at inconvenient times, Gleeson noted that “every interaction was perfectly lovely and perfectly nice.” So, whether people have heard this rumor and are sympathetic or if they genuinely like the actor I'm happy he's only had positive interactions with GOT viewers.
The Game of Thrones vet also revealed he loved seeing all the memes about Joffrey. It’s amazing he has such a good sense of humor about it all, and that he appreciates all the fan’s Game of Thrones memes and edits, like the one where Joffrey is a hero.
One thing I know for sure about GOT fans is that they know how to make a good meme about the flagship show or the prequel House of the Dragon, especially when it’s regarding a disliked character – I mean did you see those memes about Ser Criston Cole? They’re amazing.
Luckily the internet is typically nicer to the actors who play the disliked characters. Gleeson is proof that even though pretty much no one likes Joffrey, they do like the man behind the evil king.
Even though Joffrey is terrible, he does make a great villain, a brilliant character that we love to hate. He appeared in some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones, and even though he died in Season 4, and the show ended years ago, Joffrey is still talked about to this day. And I’m so happy Gleeson has been treated with kindness throughout the years, and GOT fans still love him.
To rewatch Jack Gleeson’s performance as the infamous Joffrey in Game of Thrones all you need is an HBO Max subscription.
