Anthony Boyle on Pouring His Soul into House of Guinness: “It’s About Legacy, Family, and a Pint”
When Anthony Boyle talks about House of Guinness, it’s full of passion and as he says“It’s about legacy, family, and a pint,” Boyle laughs. “It’s Irish history with a hangover.”
The series, which chronicles the rise of the Guinness brewing dynasty, offered Boyle the kind of textured role he relishes: morally complex, emotionally rich, and deeply rooted in his own heritage. “It’s not just about beer,” he says. “It’s about ambition, power, faith, and the cost of creating something that outlives you.”
Boyle’s path to the role was anything but smooth. He recalls sending in his audition tape while holed up in a Los Angeles hotel surrounded by the roar of motorcycles. “It sounded like Wild Hogs out there,” he says with a grin. “Every take, another Harley would rip past. But somehow, we got one clean version in the middle of all that chaos and that’s the one I sent.”
That tape earned him the callback, a testament to Boyle’s ability to bring depth to any scene, noise or not. “Sometimes those moments remind you, acting isn’t about perfection. It’s about being alive in the mess.”
To prepare for the role, Boyle immersed himself in the world of Arthur Guinness not as a mythic entrepreneur, but as a man. “Everyone knows the name,” he says, “but few people think about what it took to build that legacy. The stubbornness, the vision, the heartbreak.”
He dove into historical texts, spent time in Dublin, and even visited the Guinness Storehouse to get a sense of the world Arthur built. “Standing there, surrounded by that smell of malt and history it gets under your skin,” Boyle recalls. “You start thinking about the generations of workers who gave their lives to this brand. There’s pride, but there’s also pain.”
Boyle credits the show’s writers for crafting a story that doesn’t romanticize the past. “What I love about House of Guinness is that it’s not a sanitized version of history. It’s about faith and empire and class, the real Ireland,” he says. “It’s as much about what we lose as what we build.”
Boyle’s performance is grounded in empathy. “You can’t play a historical figure like he’s on a pedestal,” he says. “You’ve got to find the insecurity, the love, the fear. Otherwise, it’s just a statue, not a man.”
For Boyle, House of Guinness is more than another period drama, it’s a global story told through an Irish lens. “We’re in a moment where audiences want truth, even in historical fiction,” he says. “There’s something universal about this family, about legacy and faith. Whether you’re in Dublin or Los Angeles, you get it.”
Still, he admits there’s something particularly emotional about coming home. “Filming in Ireland felt like completing a circle,” he says quietly. “It’s where my family’s from, where my story began. You feel that in your bones.”
As Boyle looks ahead, he’s excited by the prospect of roles that challenge him in new ways. “I want to keep finding characters who scare me a bit,” he says. “If I’m comfortable, I’m not growing.”
He pauses, then smiles. “Besides, after living with Arthur Guinness for this long, I’ve earned a pint.”
