'Game of Thrones' actor Jack Gleeson says he 'never had one negative experience' from fans

Jack Gleeson, popularly known for his role as Joffrey Baratheon on the popular show Game of Thrones, shared that he has never had a negative fan experience.

Gleeson, now 30, attended a panel at the Game of Thrones Convention Friday, December 9th, 2022.

During a Q&A with host Jason Concepcion at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Gleeson, talked about his fan experience after his portrayal as one of the most hated character on the show.

“Thankfully, I've never had any negative fan experiences or anything.... There's still a chance, if anybody wants to throw a punch,” he shared, much to the fans’ shock.

In the show, Joffrey Baratheon ascends to the throne at a young age after his father dies in a hunting accident. Joffery is known to be one of the most hated villains in television history as he is full of malice and aggressive violence.

Actors have in the past dealt with aggressive fan reactions for the roles they portray on-screen.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Gleeson's castmate Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon) is among them, previously sharing that a fan once commented on wanting to punch him in the face.

However, Gleeson said it was a “rumour” which was spread about him for years. “A lot of people come up to me because I guess this rumour started that people were horrible to me on the street or I get attacked… whereas I've never had one negative experience,” he said on stage. “I feel like people are extra nice to me because they think people attack me, so maybe I should keep the rumour going.”

He went on to add that he was just accosted in public while he was hanging out with his friends.

“While I was filming Game of Thrones, I was also in university in Dublin and even though since I was a kid all I wanted to be was a celebrity, when I became famous, I then realised… whenever I go to a pub all of my friends then just have to become photographers because people give them their phone and then their night is ruined,” he recalled.

But “every interaction was perfectly lovely and perfectly nice,” he reiterated.