House of Guinness Star Finally Explains the Shocking Inheritance Twist

Netflix has a new family drama with a sting in its tail, and it lands at the will reading. House of Guinness leans hard into the fallout from a patriarch's death, and star Emily Fairn just broke down why that surprise inheritance twist upends everything for her character in a way that is messy, painful, and ultimately kind of good.

What the show is doing

Created by Steven Knight, House of Guinness follows the fallout after Benjamin Guinness dies and his children start circling the empire he left behind. The big shock: when the will is read, Anne (played by Fairn) ends up mostly cut out, right alongside her brother Benjamin. Yes, the dad is named Benjamin and there is also a son named Benjamin. Not confusing at all.

Fairn on the gut-punch will reading

Speaking with ScreenRant, Fairn called the will reveal a line-in-the-sand moment for Anne and her brother. It is the scene that resets their lives on the spot:

"They didn't get what they wanted, but actually it ended up so much better for them."

In her view, if Anne had been handed a pile of cash and a grand house, she would have drifted into a cushy, consequence-free life. Instead, getting sidelined forces Anne to actually do something: she creates a trust and starts helping people who need it. Fairn says that purpose gives Anne real direction, with an eye on improving things for the next generations of Guinness women.

The character shift, up close

Fairn describes the immediate aftermath as brutal. You can see it hit Anne and her fiance right there in the room: the realization that they suddenly have nothing and have to figure out who they are without the safety net. But she also frames the setback as the thing that pushes Anne toward a better, more grounded life than the one she thought she wanted.

• The setup: Benjamin Guinness dies; the family expects a straightforward inheritance.
• The twist: at the will reading, Anne and her brother Benjamin are largely left out.
• The fallout: Anne builds a trust, starts helping others, and finds purpose beyond a posh address.
• The takeaway: the loss stings, but it steers Anne toward a future that, ironically, looks healthier and more meaningful.

It is a classic Knight move: pull the rug, then show who someone becomes when the money goes missing. And in Anne's case, that rug pull might be the best thing that ever happened to her.