Why Jack Gleeson Quit Acting After Playing Joffrey in Game of Thrones

Remember Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones? The actor who played him, Jack Gleason, didn't even enjoy the role that made him famous. In fact, it was so draining that he started questioning if he even wanted to act anymore. Gleason gave a speech at University College Dublin and he said it really come down to just not deriving as much enjoyment as I did from acting as I used to, Gleason said. For some reason, I don't know, it became a bit kind of mechanical and less kind of passionate when I started Game of Thrones. Gleason also noted that he had no problem with the show's production. I don't think it's got anything to do with the way they film it. I think when it became less of a recreation and more of a profession, it kind of put more pressure on the acting itself and made it a tiny bit less enjoyable. Some fans couldn't separate Jack Gleason from the monster he played. He got harassed in real life. People hated him, not just the character. He's actually a wholesome, super intelligent, soft spoken dude in real life. There's been speculation that this real world hate might have pushed him to step away from the spotlight, although he's never said that directly. Still, Jack seems happy with his decision. He walked away from all the noise, found his piece, and honestly, that's the real win.