That full-frontal scene in Netflix’s House of Guinness was NOT a prosthetic, says actor Anthony Boyle
Impressive!
Mark
One of the stars of Netflix’s latest hit series is speaking out about one of its most talked-about scenes.
House of Guinness explores the history of the family that ran the brewery of the same name. It’s set in the mid-1800s. Anthony Boyle plays Arthur Guinness, who took over the company after his father, also named Arthur, died.
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Boyle’s character, although married to a woman, is gay. His wife knows his secret and the couple enjoy an understanding and open marriage.
In episode three, Boyle’s Arthur is seen stepping out of the bath. Everything is on display before his butler hands him a towel. We can’t show you images here, but photos, clips and gifs are all over social media.
Was Boyle, as is common these days when actors go full frontal, wearing a prosthetic?
Apparently not. Talking to Men’s Health, Boyle says, “It’s not a prosthetic. It’s my own body.”
Kudos to Boyle!
On wanting to show everything, Boyle said, “I wanted to be completely naked so that my character could show that he owns the whole f***ing world”.
House of Guinness comes from writer Steven Knight, who also created Peaky Blinders. Add a dash of Succession and you can see why House of Guinness is proving so popular.
LGBTQ+ viewers are also loving the insight into clandestine queer relationships from 200 years ago. Boyle’s authentic performance has been singled out for praise.
Historian and media scholar Dr. Marion O’Connell told Edge Media that the show’s candid scenes are not just “for shock value,” but offer “a layered portrayal of desire, power, and vulnerability. For LGBTQ+ viewers, it’s deeply meaningful to see these themes explored with authenticity and sensitivity.”
Who is Anthony Boyle?
Boyle was born in 1994. He first began to make a name for himself in London’s West End. He won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2016. His biggest roles prior to House of Guinness included the movies Tolkien (2019) and Tetris (2023), as well as the TV series Masters of the Air (2024) and Say Nothing (2024).
After House of Guinness, he’ll next be seen playing crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, with Julia Garner as his business and romantic partner, in The Altruists.
The sexuality of the real-life Arthur Guinness is not known. He and his wife, Olivia, had no children, and they slept in separate bedrooms. Some experts believe the Guinness heir was “probably gay”.
Boyle says in a new interview with GQ Hype that he and writer Knight wanted Arthur to be unashamed of his sexuality: “We really wanted him to feel proud of himself and that everyone else was wrong.”
Boyle also revealed the bathroom scene was his idea.
It “was meant to be me getting my cufflinks on by the mirror,” he says. “But it felt a little bit boring.” So, the night before filming, he called director Tom Shankland with an alternative proposal.
“And then suddenly you’re in a bath and there’s five make-up girls spraying you with water. You’re like, ‘F*ck, my granny’s going to see this.’”
House of Guinness is streaming now on Netflix.
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‘The House Of Guinness’ is like ‘Succession’ meets ‘Peaky Blinders,’ but with a wonderfully chaotic gay lead!
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