How Jack Gleeson spoiled Game of Thrones for himself Jack Gleeson was about to learn about his character's death early on. Spoiler warning for Game of Thrones fans who have not yet seen season four When actor Jack Gleeson was cast as Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, he didn't turn to author George R.R. Martin's books to find out how his character fared. "I'm part of the Generation Y millennials who depend upon Wikipedia for all their educational needs," the special guest star of the upcoming Supanova Pop Culture Expo said. Jack Gleeson as Joffery in Game of Thrones. Basically when I got the part, before I read the books, I looked on Wikipedia, read the brief description of each book, so I knew pretty earlier on that there was an expiry date to Joffrey. Prince Joffrey, the heir of King Robert Baratheon, was actually the product of the incestuous relationship between his mother Cersei Lannister and her twin brother Jaime. With a sadistic streak as long as Westeros itself, Joffrey's brief reign as king ended with death at his own wedding feast, early in the series' fourth season. Notorious for its ruthless and random dispatching of key characters, Game of Thrones fans are renowned for their hysteria about spoilers. But 22-year-old Gleeson said he didn't mind finding out about Joffrey's grisly demise. "It was nice to know kind of early on, because I got the sense that perhaps some of the actors for whatever reason didn't see their death coming," he said. That can be a bit of a shock - just one day you arrive and it's 'You're fired' and you don't have a job anymore. Joffrey's death at the Purple Wedding was eagerly anticipated by fans of the HBO series, who had relished hating the villainous teenage king. "Obviously you want Joffrey to die the most painful and grotesque possible, but I think there's also a sense in those final moments that hopefully you see this cruel manipulative king, but he's also a young man, a young boy, who's dying in the arms of his mother," he said. I'd like to think there's a certain moment of pathos there as well, where you're kind of cheering, then you say 'Oh shit, this is a kid who just got poisoned'... I liked that tension. Gleeson said audiences would miss the character. "It's fun to hate someone, I suppose, and I think there was a certain vacuum there when Joffrey passed," he said. The Irish actor said he loved the internet culture that had built up around the show, which included gifs of Joffrey being repeatedly slapped by his uncle Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). "All the internet memes and jokes about Game of Thrones and other shows are an enlarged version of sharing in the fun, enjoyment and entertainment," he said. It's gratifying to be able to share that experience with someone... I think it's great. Gleeson is now in his final year of a philosophy degree at Dublin's Trinity College, having focused his attention on his education over other acting roles. He said he was overjoyed to be invited to Supanova. "When this came into my email, I didn't really have to think about it that much because I've never been to Australia and I was like, definitely yes," he said. I can't wait to make my pasty Irish skin a little less pasty. Jack Gleeson will be a special guest star at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 28-30.