Before the Guinness family begins the power plays and love games in House of Guinness (now streaming), viewers meet the factory foreman Sean Rafferty, played by BAFTA-nominee James Norton. As the ex-military man strides onscreen, it’s impossible to ignore one glittering item amid the grit and grime of the brewery: Rafferty’s silver hoop earring. 

“Connell had the chain,” Norton tells Tudum with a grin, referencing Paul Mescal’s character in Normal People. “Rafferty has the slutty little earring, which I am so down for.” The actor explains the accessory was “a James choice.” Norton first got an earring at age 18 during his “hippy” era. Eventually, he left the style behind, but repierced his ear two years ago. 

“Since then, every time I sit with the costume and makeup departments, I’m like, ‘Do you want me to keep the earring? Or do you want me to get rid of it?’ ” he explains. Like others before him, House of Guinness costume designer Edward K. Gibbon was charmed by the accessory. “He was like, ‘I think it’s fucking cool. It works,’ ” Norton says. 

Norton and Gibbon agreed the small hoop is more than just a piece of jewelry — it represents who Rafferty is. Unlike the fixer’s aristocratic employers (who live and die by society’s expectations), Rafferty is free from the confines of such pressures. He attacks his opponents with zeal and dangerous weapons. He seduces whomever he wants, whenever he wants. Rafferty even carries a live eel into a house of God — and chokes a reverend with the slippery creature. The hoop is similarly “brazen,” Norton says.  

“It speaks to his individuality,” he continues. “Rafferty does everything how he wants to do it. He’s a rule unto himself. So, yeah, it’s a little naughty. It’s a little sexy. It’s a little irreverent. But the earring is right in line with the man.” 

But, there’s more to this “hard knuckle man,” as Norton calls him, than his eye-catching style and (blood) lust. The Guinness family’s resident defender is also someone with a deep well of emotion hiding beneath his gruff exterior. Rafferty’s softer side is unveiled slowly throughout House of Guinness as he connects with Olivia Guinness (Danielle Galligan), the wife of his now-boss Arthur Guinness (Anthony Boyle). Now, Norton is ready to reveal exactly what’s brewing inside of Sean Rafferty. 

PHOTO BY BEN BLACKALL

Rafferty is Irish Catholic. The Guinnesses are wealthy Protestants. How does he square his beliefs and cultural identity with his job of protecting this family? 

Norton: He’s very openly Catholic. We decided very early on — I think it was a steer from creator Steven Knight — that even though it’s not explicitly discussed in the script, Rafferty is a lapsed Catholic. The reasons for his lapsed faith are not directly discussed on camera. But, we decided that there was complicated and nuanced stuff in Rafferty’s past involving the church and his family. These details really were for me. But they enrich the whole thing for the audience —  they allow me to go into deeper layers. 

Since Rafferty is a lapsed Catholic, he allows himself to work for the Protestant Guinnesses. Rafferty’s religion is now his work. There is really only one God in his life — and it’s himself.  Rafferty lives under a law unto himself. He does his job really well and is loyal to a fault. There is a strictness and a discipline to him, which comes from a military background.

Were there any character details that really helped you understand who Rafferty is? 

Norton: I had an amazing costume from Edward K. Gibbons, who gave me this incredible coat and hat. One of my buckles was made out of an old military medal. Ed then stitched the ribbon of the medal into my inner pocket. So, every time I reached for my cigarette case, my fingers brushed against this ribbon. No one in the audience will ever know that. But every time I put my hand in my pocket, I was reminded of a military background — which just shows you how generous everyone was, how deep the detail went, how collaborative it was. 

PHOTO BY BEN BLACKALL

Rafferty presents as a very straightforward (if sometimes violent) man at the start of House of Guinness. But we learn he’s actually a tragic romantic hero. What was it like pulling back those layers? 

Norton: That’s the dream as an actor, isn’t it? I remember Steven telling me on the very first phone call we had that Rafferty presents as a very simple man who has a job to do. He does it well. He’s feared. He’s a hard knuckle man. But that actually covers a well of complexity and contradiction. The more you peel away, the more you realize how much of an enigma he is. 

What else did your conversation with Steven reveal? 

Norton: Steven also told me that Rafferty is a man we see melt. For whatever reason — whether it’s the military, a broken heart, family, or faith — we arrive at the show meeting a quite stern, calcified survivor. He’s obviously a man who’s experienced pain. 

How does Rafferty’s relationship with Olivia Guinness change him? 

Norton: He meets a kindred spirit in Olivia. She is also a survivor who’s hardened to the world. They give each other permission to be vulnerable and experience love and fear — all the things a hardened badass doesn’t allow themselves. Usually Rafferty navigates the world not allowing himself those more tender parts of being human. 

So we leave him in this incredible mess by the finale. Rafferty has gone from this block of ice to a puddle now. He’s still a badass, though. 

And we even see his fighting style change. 

Norton: Yes, he has a fight scene where he gets hit. Suddenly his armor has a chink in it. It's like Rafferty has gained love, but he's losing his invincibility. It's a really interesting place to leave him. 

Rafferty is at his most emotionally vulnerable during his last conversation with Olivia in the House of Guinness finale. How did you emote so much with just the three-word sentence, “I am sad”? 

Norton: It was the simplicity of the lines. I remember reading it, and even just talking about it right now, I’m getting shivers. That’s Steven Knight in a nutshell. He can be big and poetic and lyrical. But at the same time, he could also say something in three words and it breaks you. 

Rafferty is a man of poetry if he wants to be; you hear the letter he writes to Ellen Cochran at the start of House of Guinness.  He’s a fiddler. He’s bright. But in that moment with Olivia, all artifice is stripped back. Rafferty doesn’t have to be the fixer. He doesn’t have to be the gangster. He can just be the broken lover.

How did it feel exploring that part of Rafferty? 

Norton: It was lovely. I was so excited when I read that scene. It's a gift because you can lean into the honesty and the truth of it. It's in those three words, “I am sad.”

Step into Rafferty’s world yourself by (re)watching House of Guinness, now streaming on Netflix. And keep coming back to Tudum for more news out of the factory floor. 

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