Anthony Boyle, the leading man in House of Guinness, says he hopes viewers will be "as entertained as I was when I first read the scripts" when the show premieres on Netflix later this month.
The eagerly-awaited eight-part drama created by Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight launches on the streaming giant on 25 September.
It opens in the immediate aftermath of Sir Benjamin Guinness's death, with the siblings - Arthur (Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Anne (Emily Fairn), and Ben (Fionn O’Shea) confronted with a dramatic will that forces Arthur and Edward to jointly run the family brewery or forfeit everything.
Speaking about what attracted him to the project, the Belfast actor said he's been a huge fan of Knight's for as long as he can remember, and praised the script for leaving "places to breathe".
"What initially drew me to the project was Steven Knight's name. I've loved his shows and films for so long," he explained.
He added: "I read the first two episodes, and when you read a script, the scenes are usually quite small. I started off doing theatre, and I like long scenes – settling into them, getting into them. And with this script, like with most of Steven's scripts, there were places to breathe. You know, ten-page, eleven-page scenes – which for an actor is just great craic to play, because you can really play in them."
Boyle continued: "You get to try loads of different versions. That was the first thing that really drew me in. I loved the script. And I loved the character. Arthur, to me, just jumped off the page. I immediately had a real sense of who he was – like, a shape of him. I could see him very clearly in front of me. And I thought, "Oh, I want to step into this guy's shoes."
Boyle admits his character is a "complicated guy" and explains how Arthur Guinness was known for masking his emotions.
"We first meet Arthur on the day of his father’s funeral – two days before the will is read, where we think he’s going to inherit everything. And this wasn’t just a brewery – it was a huge, huge operation," he said.
"They owned so many properties. They basically owned Ireland – and almost still do. And a big chunk of England, too. We find Arthur not feeling all that emotional on the day of his father’s funeral. His siblings are crying and really emotional, but he’s masking his anxiety, his anger, and his emotions. It’s what he always does. He’s a complicated guy."
Boyle believes there's currently nothing on TV that is as thrilling as House of Guinness and hopes viewers enjoy the show as much as he did making it.
"I’m just excited for people to sit down and watch it. Hopefully, they’ll be as entertained as I was when I read the scripts. It’s really exciting. I don’t think there’s anything else like it on TV," he said.
House of Guinness will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, 25 September.
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