George R.R. Martin, Jack Gleeson Speak Up About Joffrey’s Death On ‘Game of Thrones’

“Game of Thrones” loathsome villain King Joffrey is dead, but the actor behind him is fortunately very much alive. Jack Gleeson has opened up about his character’s death, and how it also marks the end of his acting career.

With Joffrey’s surprising death, fans are glad that the young vile ruler finally had to vanish from the screen, but they are also slightly unsatisfied by the way that he went away.

Fans were hoping that one of the surviving Stark kids would have a hand in Joffrey’s brutal death, but of course, George R.R. Martin, the author of “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels from which the series is based, didn’t let that happen.

Instead, Joffrey was poisoned at his own wedding, and his uncle, fan favourite Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage), is the suspect.

Those who haven’t read the books yet was surprised at the outcome, but Gleeson himself wasn’t.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 21-year-old Irish actor said that he has been expecting Joffrey’s death from the first day since he has read the book.

When asked how fans would react to his character’s death, Gleeson thought it would be “50-50.”

“There will be a delight that the person tormenting their favourite characters is gone, but I would like to think there’s a certain sadness at the loss of the delight people take in hating a character like Joffrey,” he said.

Martin, meanwhile, explained why he didn’t make the death as satisfying as it would have been if Joffrey died at the hands of one of the good guys.

“I wanted to make it a little bit unclear what exactly has happened here, make the readers work a little to try and figure out what has happened,” he also told EW.

“And of course, for Tyrion, Joffrey’s death doesn’t make things better, it makes things worse. Tyrion’s in terrible trouble, and it proves that something I’ve tried to make a point of through the whole series: Decisions have consequences.

“When Robb breaks his word to House Frey and doesn’t marry one of Frey’s daughters, that has dire consequences for him. One of Tyrion’s problems has been that he has a big mouth. He’s been saying things since the beginning of the series, these veiled threats to Cersei – ‘someday I’m going to get you for this, someday your joy is going to turn to ashes in your mouth.’ Now, all these declarations make him look really guilty.”

The death scene was “pretty cool” to shoot, though. Gleeson will still be seen in the next episode for the funeral scene, which he revealed that he shot by just having to sleep all day.

It’s no secret that Gleeson has been planning to retire after his stint on the “Game of Thrones” has ended. And now that Joffrey is dead, it appears that he is now making that plan a reality.

“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.”

But will he change his mind?

“Not for now. When I’m destitute in 10 years time, I’ll accept any script!” he joked. “No. As long as I’m in the not-ungrateful-but-perhaps-happy place where I can say ‘No’ to whatever, I’m going to do that.”

Martin hoped that playing Joffrey wasn’t what pushed Gleeson to quit his profession. Calling the actor “very perceptive,” the author admitted that he is feeling “a little guilty” that Gleeson is retiring.

“I hope that playing Joffrey didn’t help make him want to retire from the profession because he does have quite a gift for it and could have a major career as an actor,” Martin praised Gleeson.