House of Guinness star Anthony Boyle has set the record straight.
On 25 September, TV enthusiasts were treated to the highly anticipated historical drama.
Created and written by Steven Knight, the series tells the story of the renowned Guinness family.
The synopsis reads: “Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the story begins immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness.”
Since its release, House of Guinness has received rave reviews from critics and viewers, with many praising the first season for its explosive drama, captivating scripts, stellar production and cast performances.
It also holds a certified fresh rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 40 reviews.
However, one aspect of the series that has left viewers gagged has been Boyle’s showstopping performance as the eldest Guinness son, Arthur – particularly his jaw-dropping full frontal bathtub scene.
Naturally, the unexpected nudity sparked a range of thirsty and hilarious reactions on social media.
One viewer on X/Twitter wrote: “House of Guinness” is fine, but then they showed Anthony Boyle full frontal, and oh my god.”
Another user tweeted: “Was watching House of Guinness and audibly gasped in that bath scene with Anthony Boyle.”
A third viewer echoed similar sentiments, writing: “DID I JUST SAW ANTHONY BOYLE’S MASSIVE THANG IN EP3 HOUSE OF GUINNESS”
Some fans also pondered if Boyle had gone au natural or used a prosthetic. Fortunately, the Say Nothing star didn’t leave us in the dark while discussing the viral scene with Men’s Health.
“It’s not a prosthetic. It’s my own body,” Boyle recently revealed to the publication.
When asked if it was “daunting” to strip down to the nude, the Manhunt star said “no” before adding that he was the driving force behind the scene’s inclusion.
“I’ve been naked on stage before, and I was naked in a film before. I sort of wrote that aspect into the scene. It was the night before we were filming, and [Arthur] was in the script originally meant to be getting his cufflinks on by the mirror,” Boyle explained.
“That felt a bit boring, so I called the director and said, ‘I think he should be smoking and drinking whiskey in the bath, and he should be completely naked and just get up, to show that he owns the whole f**king world.’ He wouldn’t even have to say anything to say, ‘I’m above these servants. This is my world. I am dominant, and I control everything.’ That’s what I wanted to show.”
In addition to sharing new information about his shocking nude scene, Boyle discussed the series’ portrayal of Arthur’s queerness, which has been largely speculated over the years by historians.
“One thing Steven [Knight], who wrote the show, and I really wanted to get right is that we didn’t ever feel like Arthur should be ashamed of his sexuality. He should be proud of it – the world around him got it wrong, but he knew who he was and felt pride in that,” he explained.
“He would have harked back to Roman or Greek times and thought, ‘God, if only I was born then. In terms of saying there’s speculation about his sexuality: People have been gay from the dawn of time, and if we don’t follow the clues and write these people into history, then we’re writing them out of history.”
The first season of House of Guinness is now available to stream on Netflix.
