When Jack Gleeson was 19, he played one of the worst TV characters we all love to hate in the form of Game of Thrones’ Joffrey Baratheon. After his character’s gruesome death on the fantasy series, Thrones marked Gleeson’s last big acting credit for years. That is until the trailer for a Netflix movie reveals the Irish actor all grown up and sporting a mustache!
It’s been a decade since the last time we saw King Joffrey Baratheon sit on the Iron Throne wreaking terror on those around him. Jack Gleeson looked so young on the HBO series with his short blonde hair. Now at the age of 31, Gleeson isn’t so little anymore as the trailer for In the Land of Saints and Sinners revealed the Game of Thrones alum sporting a brunette look and a mustache. Take a look at the all-grown-up actor down below:
I’m still in shock that this is the same actor who portrayed the sadistic-yet-memorable Joffrey in Game of Thrones. That mustache on him throws in our faces that we’re now looking at a grown adult in Jack Gleeson. Oh, how time flies!
The trailer of the 1970s-set film In the Land of Saints and Sinners – currently available streaming on Netflix Ireland – shows Liam Neeson kicking ass like we usually see in his best movies. However, my attention is still on Jack Gleeson who looks like he’s come a long way since playing his well-known Game of Thrones character. The set film has Gleeson playing hitman Kevin Lynch who takes way too much pride in working out his executions. So, I guess his new character has a little Joffrey in him.
One of the best episodes of Game of Thrones’ fourth season had to have been “The Lion and the Rose” – Game of Thrones spoiler alert when finally King Joffrey Baratheon gets what’s coming to him after several seasons of his evil tyranny. After marrying Margaery Tyrell and humiliating his uncle Tyrion, Joffrey succumbs to his death after being secretly poisoned by Lady Olenna Tyrell and Lord Petyr Baelish. Believe it or not, the “Purple Wedding” scene was actually very awkward for Jack Gleeson to shoot as he had to keep his eyes wide open for the camera to capture him playing dead. I can understand the struggle as being told not to blink can actually make you feel like blinking even more.
While we relished watching the downfall of Joffrey, it was still a shame that meant it was Jack Gleeson’s final time on Game of Thrones. Some important things to know about Gleeson after his time on the HBO series include that he retired from acting to earn a degree in philosophy and theology from Trinity College Dublin. But Gleeson’s love of acting did not leave him as he co-founded The Collapsing Horse Theatre Company where he and his fellow Irish actors put on low-budget comical productions performed in Ireland, London, Moscow, and New York.
After a six-year absence, the Cork native came out of retirement with the BBC miniseries Out of Her Mind which tackled the subjects of heartbreak and family. Jack Gleeson will reportedly reunite with his Game of Thrones co-star Alfie Allen in the upcoming crime drama series Safe Harbor about two hackers who enlist the services of two Irish mob members to hack into the security system of Rotterdam Harbor.
With Gleeson no longer the young actor playing Joffrey, it looks like this is his chance right now to tackle more adult roles. For now, check out an extended preview for the movie with Liam Neeson:
Based on the Netflix Ireland movie's trailer for In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Jack Gleeson is all grown up sporting a new mustache to show he's no longer the young Game of Thrones actor we knew him to be. Not only am I glad he’s back in the acting game, but that this is his chance to show audiences how he can expand his range in adult roles. While not released yet in the U.S. on Netflix, keep looking into our 2024 movie releases so you’ll be the first to know when Gleeson’s latest movie will hit your Netflix subscription on the American side of the pond.
