'Game of Thrones' Season 4 Premiere: Star Quitting Acting After Series Ends [VIDEO]
The actor who plays Joffrey in Game of Thrones is quitting acting after the series ends.
Jack Gleeson, who plays the evil King Joffrey in Game of Thrones, is leaving show business after the end of the series. Gleeson announced his decision to Ireland's Independent on Monday.
"[Acting] was always a recreation beforehand, but when I started doing Game of Thrones perhaps the reality was made too real for me," Gleeson told Independent. "The lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn't something I gravitate towards."
Though many Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey for his evil ways, Gleeson has previously said that he doesn't get that much grief from people on the street.
Gleeson also told Independent that he does not watch Game of Thrones if he cannot help it.
"I don't tend to. It's bizarre when you see clips," he said, discussing the HBO series. "You tend to abstract yourself from the creepiness of it when you're playing it, but when you see it on television it sends shivers down my spine."
Gleeson has limited experience in acting before his star-making role in Game of Thrones. Before the HBO series, he has appeared in Batman Begins and a collection of short films.
"I'm 21, so it's hard to decide what kind of course life will take," Gleeson noted. The actor is a student at Trinty, where he studies philosophy and theology.
Game of Thrones returns for season 4 in spring 2014, though a specific premiere date as not yet been scheduled for HBO.
