'Peaky Blinders' star Aidan Gillen puts the alt-right-meme episode behind him as he wins fans with his iconic roles on TV
Aidan Gillen was not an unknown face when he appeared as the skilled manipulator and an owner of brothels in HBO's 'Game of Thrones', and it certainly was relieving to see the Irish actor join the starring cast of BBC One's 'Peaky Blinders'. Gillen has been a popular face on both television and on the big screen but unfortunately, for some time, he was the subject of a hilarious meme. That said, whatever character Gillen embodies he makes sure that he gives it his all in order to live in the skin of the character he plays. Perhaps that is why everytime we see Littlefinger in 'Game of Thrones' we want him to die so bad but then when he becomes the gypsy Aberama Gold in 'Peaky Blinders' we literally want Polly (Helen McCrory) to run away with him.
Born in Dublin, Gillen's acting career sky-rocketed as a teenager when he played the role of Nick Bottom, from Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', with the Dublin Youth Theatre. However, he gained immense popularity when he played Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 television series 'Queer as Folk' and its sequel, for which he received a British Academy Television Award nomination for Best Actor. Gillen loved his role in the series since the sex scenes crossed every limit in broadcasting shows. For Gillen, coming from a conservative background, the role was the most revolting for him. He had explained in an interview with Guardian that he had "half expected some backlash and grief" from Catholic Ireland.