Jack Gleeson

Theboinkmaster · 31-05-2019 11:52am #1

When he left Game of Thrones he seemed to give up mainstream acting and "celebrity" culture.

However over the past couple of years he seems to have attended a lot of conventions across the world, selling autographs at $20 along other Z list celebrities.

I wonder why this is? Assume he wasn't paid that much for seasons 1-4 so didn't earn enough from GoT to retire on. Is he just trying to make some cash, does he regret not doing more projects after his GoT run?

I'd understand going to some conventions for the craic, but sitting at those tables selling autographs for $20 just seems a bit tragic and I'm surprised by it.

nix · 31-05-2019 2:28pm

Likely just easy money for him, he gets to pat his ego and appease fans without having to return to acting, gets to travel a lot doing that also..

If he wanted, he could just jump back into acting, i doubt hes burnt any bridges, only a few years has passed since he knocked it on the head..

johnnyskeleton · 31-05-2019 3:07pm

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

I'd understand going to some conventions for the craic, but sitting at those tables selling autographs for $20 just seems a bit tragic and I'm surprised by it.

Its called the celebrity zoo I believe. Pretty grim place but possibly lucrative.

Id say he might need to take a bit of time off to put distance between himself and GOT. But hes a good actor and is still young

CardBordWindow · 31-05-2019 4:01pm

I think he's doing something at the Cat Laughs in Kilkenny over the weekend.

[Deleted User] · 31-05-2019 4:27pm

He's part of Collapsing Horse Theatre in Dublin (Since before GOT IIRC)

So he's busy with that, no intention of doing more TV work as I can see. His main love is the theatre.

And yes, Collapsing Horse are the current curators of Kilkenny Cat Laughs.

Rodin · 31-05-2019 4:30pm

CardBordWindow wrote: »

I think he's doing something at the Cat Laughs in Kilkenny over the weekend.

Was there last year too.

Theboinkmaster · 31-05-2019 5:06pm

I appreciate that, just doesn't make sense to me that he'd do the comic con circuit.

I've been in those celebrity signing table rooms and it's just depressing and instinctively it seems beneath him, unless he needs the money.

Also he seems to dye his hair blonde for them, so more recognisable as Joffrey?

Wouldn't call it "easy" cash as seems quite degrading to me. I've seen a few whereby there's no queue so the "celebrity" is just sitting at a table on their own playing on their phone.

It's a shame he never did anything after GoT as he's obviously very talented.

I hope he doesn't regret it like Wil Wheaton.

PinaKolada · 31-05-2019 9:02pm

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

I appreciate that, just doesn't make sense to me that he'd do the comic con circuit.

I've been in those celebrity signing table rooms and it's just depressing and instinctively it seems beneath him, unless he needs the money.

Also he seems to dye his hair blonde for them, so more recognisable as Joffrey?

Wouldn't call it "easy" cash as seems quite degrading to me. I've seen a few whereby there's no queue so the "celebrity" is just sitting at a table on their own playing on their phone.

It's a shame he never did anything after GoT as he's obviously very talented.

I hope he doesn't regret it like Wil Wheaton.

It's a couple of days work though and he's probably getting a pretty decent wedge of cash for it. With GOT being so big too he might be getting appearances fees given he's being asked to participate in panels and interviews and being used to promote the events.

I'd say he's making a killing while travelling around the world having a right old time.

AidoEirE · 31-05-2019 9:21pm

Nice little gig for him id imagine, travel the world, meet GoT fans but without all the limelight of it.

For an unkown to the majority, his performance on GoT was out of this world.
In all the series ive watched, i've never loved hating the main "villan".
I say fair to play him, i'd say he's has plenty of offers to get nack into it.

RobbingBandit · 01-06-2019 10:22pm

Robert Carlyle is charging £90 for an autograph over in England next week, I was at a comic con in the RDS a few years ago Nell Tiger Free who played Marcella got very few people coming to her, Jack would get a lot more

Dial Hard · 01-06-2019 10:28pm

Theboinkmaster wrote:

Also he seems to dye his hair blonde for them, so more recognisable as Joffrey?

He's naturally blonde is he not? He was in Batman Begins anyway and that was a million years ago.

Theboinkmaster · 02-06-2019 9:18pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

He's naturally blonde is he not? He was in Batman Begins anyway and that was a million years ago.

No he definitely dyes it

judeboy101 · 02-06-2019 9:21pm

Reason he left wasn't cos joffrey dies in books, what I heard was producers wanted character for longer but jack crossed a producer and was blackballed.

[Deleted User] · 04-06-2019 10:46am

My understanding is he hated how slow TV and film is. Tons of waiting around for a brief scene. Then all the lighting is moved around, more waiting, then you do the scene again. Repeat ad nauseum. Add that to the fact that he openly hates fame. Do a few signings to make some money and continue to do what you love. Seems like he has it all figured out.

How much would have make at 20 quid per signing over 8 hours? At a signing per minute, 20*60*8 = 9800 per day. You'd pay me significantly less do that.

TheIrishGrover · 04-06-2019 11:14am

I wouldn't imagine he made enough to retire on on Thrones. I think I heard that the guy who played Rob was paid 10 times more for his "Bodyguard" series than Thrones and remember, for a couple of seasons he was one of the main characters.

Regarding the character Joffery dying: I doubt they would have held on to that character for much longer. That's where he died in the books and his story arc was pretty much done by that stage. He was never really "The Baddie" (That, of course, was Cersie). He was just a horrible little toe-rag of a character.

I felt for Jack Gleeson because he played the character brilliantly. I don't know the guy, never even saw him but it can't have been easy playing such a character. The poor bugger was getting death threats for God's sake. So I can understand him, immediately after his stint, stating that he was done with acting.

Having said that, he has been working on and off for some time (Remember, he was the kid in Batman Begins). However it will be some time before he can shake the character of "Joffery". Had he performed it when he was younger and he had changed considerably since then then he would have an easier time. All the actors are going to be typecast for some time.

So, while I can only imagine the Comic-con thing could be pretty depressing in the long run, I'm sure the money comes in handy while he works on his long term goals.

Fall_Guy · 04-06-2019 12:37pm

judeboy101 wrote: »

Reason he left wasn't cos joffrey dies in books, what I heard was producers wanted character for longer but jack crossed a producer and was blackballed.

That sounds fairly far fetched, it's not like he was a peripheral character who could live on longer than he does in the books with little or no knock-on effect.... Him not dying when he did would have required a greater divergence from the finished books than anything else done in the show. It would have meant changing tyrions trial, oberyn and the mountain, tyrion killing his father etc....

Theboinkmaster · 04-06-2019 12:37pm

partyjungle wrote: »

My understanding is he hated how slow TV and film is. Tons of waiting around for a brief scene. Then all the lighting is moved around, more waiting, then you do the scene again. Repeat ad nauseum. Add that to the fact that he openly hates fame. Do a few signings to make some money and continue to do what you love. Seems like he has it all figured out.

How much would have make at 20 quid per signing over 8 hours? At a signing per minute, 20*60*8 = 9800 per day. You'd pay me significantly less do that.

Most people at those stalls wouldn't be busy enough for 1 per minute, they end up chatting to people a lot longer than 1 minute also.

So I'd say it's comfortably half that, so €4,900 per day. You'd have to pay half to the venue/organisers and another half in tax - that leaves you just €1,225 profit, assuming expenses are covered.

Hardly earth shattering cash.

Theboinkmaster · 04-06-2019 12:38pm

judeboy101 wrote: »

Reason he left wasn't cos joffrey dies in books, what I heard was producers wanted character for longer but jack crossed a producer and was blackballed.

Sounds like absolute nonsense to me, TBH

Theboinkmaster · 04-06-2019 12:40pm

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

I wouldn't imagine he made enough to retire on on Thrones. I think I heard that the guy who played Rob was paid 10 times more for his "Bodyguard" series than Thrones and remember, for a couple of seasons he was one of the main characters.

I'd say at most he earned about €100k per season? I assume the only real money made for actors on thrones was for the main cast who got to season 8 - like Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke. As they probably negotiated new contracts for seasons 6-8.

Imagine everyone was locked in at basic rates for seasons 1-5.

tricky D · 04-06-2019 2:10pm

In the early seasons most of the actors would have been on basic Equity rates which aren't that much. The number I dug up is £350pw for entrants before allowances and per diems. I wouldn't be surprised if only around a handful of the first season cast got higher rates. Remember Jason Momoa could barely scrape the money for a plane ticket home at the end of season 1 and while not quite a household name, he wasn't a new kid on the block.

The extra zeroes in the pay would have kicked in much later.

ArmaniJeanss · 04-06-2019 2:18pm

Fall_Guy wrote: »

That sounds fairly far fetched, it's not like he was a peripheral character who could live on longer than he does in the books with little or no knock-on effect.... Him not dying when he did would have required a greater divergence from the finished books than anything else done in the show. It would have meant changing tyrions trial, oberyn and the mountain, tyrion killing his father etc....

There was some falling out, maybe judeboy got the wrong end of the stick.
From my memory JG went on UK and Irish TV and radio in the run-up to that series hinting his characters imminent death.
Pissed the producers off a lot.

....... · 04-06-2019 2:29pm

I dunno why people think the autograph signings at ComicCons are depressing?

Some actors like to touch base with their real fans by doing them.

TerrorFirmer · 04-06-2019 5:28pm

tricky D wrote: »

In the early seasons most of the actors would have been on basic Equity rates which aren't that much. The number I dug up is £350pw for entrants before allowances and per diems. I wouldn't be surprised if only around a handful of the first season cast got higher rates. Remember Jason Momoa could barely scrape the money for a plane ticket home at the end of season 1 and while not quite a household name, he wasn't a new kid on the block.

The extra zeroes in the pay would have kicked in much later.

Absolutely. Sure even look at Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley only got something like $100K for one of the most anticipated - and highest grossing - movies of all time.

She probably earned 20 times that for The Last Jedi.

No-one starting making serious bank until the much later seasons of GOT when it started to become a global phenomenon.

The viewing figures for S1-3 in particular (best seasons) were extremely decent but nothing radically out of the ordinary in the TV realm.

Only started to really shine in that regard in S4/S5.

Unless there is some sort of royalty agreement, I can't see any of the earlier cast members retiring on their GOT fame.

valoren · 06-06-2019 10:24am

I guess he wouldn't do it if it wasn't lucrative.
These conventions are big money spinners with many selling out entry tickets.
Someone like Chris Hemsworth would be making $200k plus easily at a single convention and that's not including appearance fees.

For Gleeson $20 for an autograph or $40 for a photo/autograph. It would all add up over a four day convention.
Do that 6 times a year and it's an income if nothing else.
Even non-GOT watchers know about "Joffrey" so there is that USP going for him, it's not like he was a periphery character.
Say at a conservative guess he get's $1,000 as an appearance fee and of a convention of 2,000 daily visitors 2% (40 people) go for the photo/autograph of $40. So daily it would be $1,600 and over 4 days $6,400.

6 times a year is gross income $25,600 before tax ($31,600 including the appearance fee i.e. $1000 * 6).

[Deleted User] · 06-06-2019 10:35am

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

Most people at those stalls wouldn't be busy enough for 1 per minute, they end up chatting to people a lot longer than 1 minute also.

So I'd say it's comfortably half that, so €4,900 per day. You'd have to pay half to the venue/organisers and another half in tax - that leaves you just €1,225 profit, assuming expenses are covered.

Hardly earth shattering cash.

He'll be an invited guest and featured attendee, no way is he paying them to be there.

Theboinkmaster · 06-06-2019 11:43am

valoren wrote: »

I guess he wouldn't do it if it wasn't lucrative.
These conventions are big money spinners with many selling out entry tickets.
Someone like Chris Hemsworth would be making $200k plus easily at a single convention and that's not including appearance fees.

For Gleeson $20 for an autograph or $40 for a photo/autograph. It would all add up over a four day convention.
Do that 6 times a year and it's an income if nothing else.
Even non-GOT watchers know about "Joffrey" so there is that USP going for him, it's not like he was a periphery character.
Say at a conservative guess he get's $1,000 as an appearance fee and of a convention of 2,000 daily visitors 2% (40 people) go for the photo/autograph of $40. So daily it would be $1,600 and over 4 days $6,400.

6 times a year is gross income $25,600 before tax ($31,600 including the appearance fee i.e. $1000 * 6).

So about €12k a year after tax? That's hardly lucrative considering what he could have done after GoT.

Some Ex Ireland rugby and GAA players get that for one afternoon speech in Dublin. So travelling across the world for 4 days at a time, 6x a year just for €12k is crap money.

Especially given how depressing some of these conventions are, if you've ever been to one you'd know. Participants seem sad and desperate for cash, it's very depressing.

....... · 07-06-2019 12:37pm

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

Especially given how depressing some of these conventions are, if you've ever been to one you'd know. Participants seem sad and desperate for cash, it's very depressing.

Cant agree with this at all. Never found them depressing and have great pics from ones Ive gone to.

[Deleted User] · 07-06-2019 12:42pm

....... wrote: »

Cant agree with this at all. Never found them depressing and have great pics from ones Ive gone to.

Some of the people sitting at booths though? They can look drained and lonely, if they are not a draw

....... · 07-06-2019 12:43pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Some of the people sitting at booths though? They can look drained and lonely, if they are not a draw

Ive only ever been to ones that there were queues for the people.

Some people will be less of a draw than others sure, but I think its fair to say that Jack Gleeson would have people wanting to get a pic with him.

He was one of the best played villains ever on a TV show. The character we all loved to hate.

[Deleted User] · 07-06-2019 12:49pm

....... wrote: »

Ive only ever been to ones that there were queues for the people.

Some people will be less of a draw than others sure, but I think its fair to say that Jack Gleeson would have people wanting to get a pic with him.

He was one of the best played villains ever on a TV show. The character we all loved to hate.

Oh I agree, as I said earlier he would be a featured/invited guest and get all the trappings of such.

loveisdivine · 07-06-2019 12:55pm

I've only been to 1 comic con, here in Dublin. There were maybe 6 celebs with signing tables, all fairly busy, a couple absolutely rammed. However, Kevin Sorbo had literally no one at this table pretty much the entire time. We even heard staff talking about how he was really pissed about it and was being a bit arsey with staff. It was a little depressing seeing his empty line next to one that had a massive queue constantly.

Jack Gleeson

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