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It was a conversation with a Guinness family heiress that sparked the idea for Steven Knight’s new period drama.
Launching this week, House of Guinness travels back in time to tell the story of the aftermath of the divisive will left by Sir Benjamin Guinness – the richest man in Ireland – upon his death in 1868.
Each episode of the new Netflix series begins with a disclaimer of sorts – which tells viewers that what they are about to watch is ‘fiction inspired by true stories’.
Set in 19th century Dublin and New York, House of Guinness ‘explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties’.
Everything kicks off soon after the death of Sir Benjamin – whose grandfather established the famed brewery – and how his will had not only a far-reaching impact on his four children, but also on countless others.
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‘Each of the siblings must now carry the weight and responsibility of their famous name into the future, as they seek to cement the legacy of their family,’ it’s been teased.
The siblings are played by Anthony Boyle as Arthur Guinness, Louis Partridge as Edward Guinness, Emily Fairn as Anne Plunket and Fionn O’Shea as Benjamin Guinness.
The idea came from Ivana Lowell, who gave the acclaimed screenwriter an insight into the family’s ‘slightly bonkers, posh, reckless, fun feeling’.
Speaking to Metro a few days before the show’s launch, the core cast explained having their eyes opened to the Guinness family and their legacy 300 years after founder Arthur Guinness was born.
‘I didn’t know too much about them and how wealthy they were,’ Anthony, best known for starring in Masters of the Air and Say Nothing, said.
Although Steven said that ‘so much of the true stuff are things people will think are made up’, the two actors avoided researching their real-life counterparts.
‘It’s semi-fictionalised, so we didn’t want to get bogged down in the details. I think Steven takes largely the truth and stirs the pot a little bit for good drama,’ Louis, who admitted he ‘felt a bit of pressure’ taking on an Irish accent for the role, explained.
For Fionn – who grew up in Dublin – he was astounded discovering how dramatic the environment the family were running the business in.
‘I didn’t know a huge amount about the family, and it hadn’t crossed my mind how complicated the time when they were running this operation was. There was a massive religious divide, Ireland was under the British occupation and there was so much going on. Growing up I just thought of the Guinness brand and not how they got there, so I went through a massive education of that family, which was fascinating,’ he said.
Despite the family now being known for having a long history of philanthropy – specifically establishing a charity providing social housing – they also significantly profited during the famine, shipping their barley and other crops to England while nearly one million people starved to death.
‘When you look at the wealth they were living in and just up the road there’s the famine and kids going hungry, I don’t think these are necessarily good people we are playing,’ Anthony shared.
‘If you have that much social capital and wealth and you don’t do good with it… though they did. The reason I like the show is that I don’t feel like we are playing heroes or villains – we are playing three-dimensional complex people, and it exists in the grey area. My feelings about the Guinness family at that time aren’t black and white,’ he added.
In one particularly poignant episode, Anne is travelling to one of the family’s estates in the west of the country when she becomes stuck in a village and discovers the devastation wrought by the famine, while her family feasted just miles away.
‘I think that sequence is perfect, because she is so wealthy and far apart from that, and even though these people are on her doorstop, she had no idea. The scene is lovely, because it really hits her and she takes a lot of the guilt and responsibility on herself and thinks things need to change to bridge the gap between the two worlds,’ Emily said.
‘I think one thing think that’s really interesting – there’s the show and the real version, but they are not let off the hook in the show in any way and you see them warts and all,’ Fionn added.
One of the characters that holds the family to account is the fictional Ellen Cochrane, an Irish republican played by Niamh McCormack, who has said she ‘felt like it was my job to bring her to life’.
‘There are not many records of female Fenians, so I do think she is representing that side of history that hasn’t been told yet. I looked to this incredible woman called Margaret Skinnider who fought in the 1916 Uprising. Ellen is fictious, but there were a lot of women to look to,’ she explained.
Speaking of the importance of the show telling the story of Irish activists, she continued: ‘I think that recently, rebels are celebrated for their noble sacrifices, but back in the day they were looked on as anarchists who were trying to disrupt the peace, but they just wanted a free Ireland. Steven has done an incredible job of layering that throughout the show.’
The series also stars James Norton as Guinness foreman Sean Rafferty, Jack Gleeson as distant Guinness family member Byron Hedges, Danielle Galligan as Arthur’s wife Lady Olivia Hedges
Although there’s no news yet on if House of Guinness could continue, Steven has said there’s plenty of material to work with, including up to the present day.
This is all just my hope and wish, since we can’t announce anything, but the story continues to be fascinating, and every generation throws in some more scandal. So, this is a story that could run and run.
House of Guinness is now streaming on Netflix.
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