The Cast Of ‘House Of Guinness’ Talks Netflix’s New Hit Period Drama: ‘

From L to R: Fionn O’Shea, Louis Partridge, Anthony Boyle and Emily Fairn in ‘House of Guinness’

Netflix

If you haven’t caught up on House of Guinness, Netflix’s latest hit drama series by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight, you are missing out on one of the most entertaining and gripping TV shows of the year.

Set in Dublin in the late 1860s, House of Guinness takes us on the journey of the four Guinness siblings who have to deal with the consequences of their father’s death. According to their father’s will, Arthur (Anthony Boyle) and Edward (Louis Partridge) are bound together and put in charge of the entire family business.

Anne (Emily Fairn), because she is a married woman, is left out of the will. She is simply allowed a right to visit the brewery and an access to some properties. As for Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea), because of his alcohol addiction, is left with nothing but a rather insignificant monthly income.

After their father’s death, Arthur had no desire to keep working for the family business, whereas Edward was the most eager to develop the brewery, which results in some explosive arguments between the two brothers. In one scene, it is even said that ‘when the matter is trivial, they shout at each other, and when the matter is important, they whisper.’

Partridge said, “It’s a really well-written sentence! I’m remembering now that we tried to fight against it because we wanted to start that scene shouting. So we had arranged this little fight that we would have, of course forgetting the line before that is ‘They’re quiet…’, so the fight was cut out. But I like that, that’s a good line.”

As a gay man, Arthur has to hide who he is most of the time, although he can be himself around his family and his wife, Olivia (Danielle Galligan). One night, Arthur meets Patrick, a former lover. They had met on the docks before Arthur’s life was turned upside down by his father’s will. If Arthur is enraged by his new responsibilities, and appears selfish and arrogant at times, Patrick recalls that on the docks, he ‘was nice to everyone.’

I asked Boyle how this line informed him on who his character was before we meet him in the show.

He said, “That’s a great question, really well-observed! We see him before this sort of constraint and stress and pressure, but there is a version of him which is going to the houses and seeing the lads on the docks and feeling free in those moments.”

He added: “He doesn’t have to hide who he is because of society, he can be himself in these situations and he can love men. Also he can go and have a drink, have some fun, he’s the richest man in Dublin, of course he’s going to be handing in the cash, and ordering the drinks and being kind to people. That’s who he was up until we meet him, at the funeral, you know.”

The two most neglected siblings, Anne and Benjamin have a hard time finding their place in the family. In this society of the late 1860s, married woman of wealthy families were usually no longer attached to their family’s business. As for Benjamin, his addiction rules him out as a potential consultant in the family business.

I asked the two actors how they tackled a story about siblings and about family, when their own characters are completely sidelined. How did they find their place as siblings, when they are not considered at all?

Fairn said, “That’s interesting, because I think that’s exactly how they are feeling in that situation as well, so it’s an interesting thing to play. Both Anne and Benjamin are trying to find their place in the family, especially when the will is read. Eward and Arthur are left doing their things, and we’re like ‘But what are we left with? What are we doing with our lives?’ I think that’s why Anne finds the philantropy and starts setting up the Guinness trust.”

She added: “But even then, when she sends the letter to Arthur and Edward saying ‘We need to start giving more money to the rural poverty,’ they kind of laugh and say ‘Bless us, wee Anne, wanting to give all our money away!’ So I think it’s very difficult, it’s the story of being a woman in that time. She’s very privileged but still has the fate of being a woman at that time period.”

As for Benjamin, the only way he found to fight his addiction and carve his own path was by enrolling in the army. When he comes back and reunited with his brothers, he’s wearing the uniform, in addition to now being a married man. However, his brothers don’t really acknowledge him and in fact, they all missed the wedding.

O’Shea said, “I know! It’s such an interesting… Well, we talked about that, because there is a kind of heartbreaking moment where his brothers are like ‘Sorry we missed the wedding.’ And then they bring it entirely back to something about themselves. That’s a really interesting scene to me, I think that’s kind of Ben just before it all goes pear-shaped again. Something doesn’t feel quite right, I mean he is drinking water, he is married, he has a child on the way, but you feel that he’s just about to go off the edge of the cliff again.”

He added: “It’s really interesting in the beginning because he starts to realize that his volatility is currency within the family. In the scene, at the wedding, he shows that he can be as ruthless as the rest of the family can be, but the problem is that it doesn’t bring him any peace or happiness in the end. Once he gets to the point where he has a wife, he has his house, he has everything that he thought would make him happy, he’s more unhappy than he was to begin with. That’s kind of the beginning of the end.”

Anne has been dealing with health issues for a long time and had a miscarriage, which “she views as a punishment from God for having an affair,” said Fairn. Later on, Anne is pregnant again and gives birth to a little girl.

Fairn said, “I was actually so nervous for that scene, it was my first week!”

She added: “We have this show called One Born Every Minute, so I was like ‘I’m just gonna watch that and channel whatever happens in that show! I’m gonna pretend to just do that!’ But I was so surprised, when I was given a real two-week old baby, and it was so emotional, it was crazy! And it is really interesting how you feel after something like that. I had a lovely supporting artist who was holding my hand and telling me to breathe. And I looked up and she was crying, because she was really moved by the whole thing!”

However, the childbirth scene is full of anger and frustration for Anne, especially when her husband asks how much longer it will take her.

Fairn said, “It’s just this frustration at the men in her life! But then actually, the beautiful thing is that she’s had a little girl, and she’s like ‘I’m gonna make sure that the life of this generation of Guinness women is different.’’’

House of Guinness is now streaming on Netflix.