Domhnall Gleeson on Love's Messy Reality: 'Alice & Jack' Is a Raw Portrait of Romance

Domhnall Gleeson has never shied away from complex roles, but his latest project might be his most emotionally daring yet. In the new Channel 4 drama Alice & Jack, the Irish actor steps into the messy, beautiful, and often brutal reality of love—a far cry from the tidy romantic comedies Hollywood usually serves up.

A Love Story That Refuses to Sugarcoat

Gleeson stars alongside Andrea Riseborough as two deeply flawed individuals whose connection spans 16 years. From their very first meeting—where Alice interrogates Jack about his work as a research scientist—the series strips away any pretense of perfection. "The truth is that anybody who's been in love for any length of time knows it is never all easy all the time," Gleeson explains, his voice carrying the weight of hard-won wisdom.

The show doesn't just flirt with complexity; it dives headfirst into the wreckage. "Love will f**k you up and you will f**k up love," the actor admits, capturing the raw, unvarnished truth that makes Alice & Jack stand apart from typical romantic dramas.

The Characters We Love to Hate

Gleeson is refreshingly candid about the dysfunctional pairing at the heart of the series. "I think they'll both drive you mad at times," he says with a knowing smile. "You'll be like, 'What are you doing?' about both of them. 'You shouldn't be with her, this is terrible. She shouldn't be with you.'"

Yet despite their constant clashes and poor decisions, there's an undeniable magnetism whenever Alice and Jack reunite. "Every now and again when they come back to each other, they'll look at each other and feel like they're home," Gleeson shares. "That's a hard thing to argue with."

The Dark Side of Devotion

The drama doesn't shy away from collateral damage. Jack's persistent love for Alice wreaks havoc on his other relationships—including his marriage to Lynn, a woman he meets, marries, and has a child with during the years apart from his first love. "Even though he is ostensibly a good man, he really hurts people," Gleeson reveals, adding layers of moral grayness to a character who could easily be dismissed as romantic.

This exploration of unintended consequences is what drew Gleeson to the project. "I just thought, 'OK, well, let's absolutely make a show about that,'" he says. "And let's absolutely do it with Andrea."

Why Now? The Post-Pandemic Hunger for Real Connection

When Gleeson first received the scripts shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, he was immediately struck by their emotional resonance. "The pandemic dried us all out emotionally," he reflects. "It took a lot away from everybody, obviously, but connection was lacking. So doing something about connection—even though it's about the hard part of that as well—I just wanted to work on it."

The timing couldn't be more perfect. Audiences have been craving stories that acknowledge the messy reality of human relationships, and Alice & Jack delivers that in spades. It's a love story that feels less like fiction and more like a painful, beautiful mirror held up to real life.

A Career Built on Emotional Depth

This isn't Gleeson's first rodeo with complex romantic narratives. Fans will remember his charming turn in Richard Curtis's About Time, a time-travel romance that also wrestled with the fragility of love. But Alice & Jack takes things to a new level of maturity.

The Ex Machina and Star Wars star has long been known for choosing intellectually and emotionally demanding projects. Whether playing a lovestruck time traveler, a haunted android creator, or General Hux in the galaxy far, far away, Gleeson brings a nuanced vulnerability that few actors can match.

Drawing Comparisons to 'Normal People'—But for a Grown-Up Audience

Inevitably, Alice & Jack will be compared to the sensation that was Normal People. Gleeson acknowledges the similarities but emphasizes the differences. "Normal People was for a younger crowd and was just such an exceptional piece of work," he says carefully. "There are similarities, but these are more mature, older people that we meet. They're going through different stages of life and dealing with different challenges."

Where Normal People captured the raw intensity of first love, Alice & Jack explores what happens when that intensity follows you into adulthood, marriage, and parenthood—and what you're willing to sacrifice for it.

The Long Road to Production

The project took time to come together. Gleeson had other commitments, including HBO's Run and the Channel 4 comedy Frank of Ireland, which he co-created with his brother Brian. But the moment Andrea Riseborough signed on, everything fell into place.

"Andrea had come fully on board and I was like, 'Holy s**t, well if we can get it made, please, I'd love to be a part of it,'" Gleeson recalls. "It was about trying to find the right home for it and make it the right way, and I think we do."

The result is a series that Gleeson believes offers "a true romance, not just a notional romance"—one that isn't "just the trappings of love or the things that movies tell us."

An Empathetic Journey Through Fire

Gleeson hopes that audiences will stick with the story through its toughest moments. "If people recognise it, I think that will be a lovely thing—recognise it in a different way than they've seen done before in a TV show," he says. "I hope they stick with it, because where it gets to… you've got to walk through fire with this one, but it's really worth it when you get to the end."

The series premieres on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday, 14 February—Valentine's Day, a fittingly ironic date for a show that celebrates love's painful side. The second episode airs Thursday, 15 February, with new installments every Wednesday and Thursday.

What Sets 'Alice & Jack' Apart

• No Easy Fixes: Unlike most TV romances, problems aren't resolved in a single episode. The characters' flaws drive them apart repeatedly, creating genuine dramatic tension.
• Flawed Protagonists: Both Alice and Jack make terrible decisions—and audiences will love to hate them for it.
• Emotional Authenticity: Gleeson praises the show for being "grown up" in showing how difficult love can be, deepening viewers' empathy rather than offering easy answers.
• Stellar Chemistry: The pairing of Gleeson and Riseborough is electric, making every reunion feel like coming home—and every separation feel like a small death.

In an era where so many love stories are sanitized for mass consumption, Alice & Jack dares to be honest. And that might just be the most romantic thing of all.

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