It's a testament then to how good Gleeson is as an actor that he can pull off what he does in Game of Thrones. His snottiness, arrogance, and twisted glee in committing horrible acts show a clear influence to Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus in Gladiator, but Gleeson has managed to make the character all his own, separate from the George R.R. Martin source material and the movie enemies of the past.
And, as you'll see in the video above, Gleeson can turn it in at the drop of a hat. GQ asks the kid (and he's still really just a kid) to read the line “My God, it's sunny outside” as both himself and as a villain. The difference is staggering.
Actors catch a ton of shit for saying things like “learning the craft,” but let's face it: Beneath the pretension, it is a skill, and few people can do something like this.
[H/T: Reddit]
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