Kit Harington reflects on sobriety, talks 'Game of Thrones' and 'Industry' roles
Harington said playing Jon Snow was "such a significant factor of my life."
Kit Harington is opening up about why he's "proud" of his sobriety journey, his time on "Game of Thrones" and his new role in "Industry."
The actor spoke about all this -- and more -- in an interview with GQ Hype as the magazine's latest cover star.
Keep reading for more.
Why he's 'proud' of his sobriety journey
Harington said he's "so lucky" he got sober before he had kids because at one point it felt "physically and emotionally impossible for me to not drink again."
The actor, who has previously opened up about his struggling with alcohol, shares two children, a son born in 2021 and a daughter born in 2023, with wife Rose Leslie.
He said his sobriety has helped him be more "proud" of himself.
"Before getting sober, I would stare in the mirror and call myself a c---. I'd hate myself. I would literally despise myself and not be proud of anything I'd done. I couldn't be proud," he recalled. "So the fact that I am proud of getting sober is in and of itself a mark of being an entirely different person."
"Now, every set I step onto, whatever work I do, I'm proud of, because I know I put everything into it," he continued. "Whereas before I had this huge monkey on my back that was just, like, weighing me down. So yeah, the whole nature of being proud of myself is a relatively new prospect for me."
On the end of 'Game of Thrones' -- and the rumored spinoff
Much has been said about the controversial end of "Game of Thrones," in May 2019 and Harington is well aware.
"I think if there was any fault with the end of 'Thrones,' is that we were all so f------ tired, we couldn't have gone on longer," he said. "And so I understand some people thought it was rushed and I might agree with them. But I'm not sure there was any alternative."
He continued, "I look at pictures of me in that final season and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn't have another season in me."
As for the final episode -- and the ensuing backlash from fans -- Harington said "everyone is entitled to their opinion."
"I think there were mistakes made, story-wise, towards the end maybe," he suggested. "I think there were some interesting choices that didn't quite work."
As for the rumored spinoff about his character, Jon Snow, Harington said "the last thing" anyone involved in the show wants is to put out "something that's not good."
"The role will always be just such a significant factor of my life. It might very well be the biggest, most important piece of work I do. I met my wife on it. I have kids from it. Have some lifelong friends from it. I'm recognized in the streets because of it," he said. "[But] it was also working against what I'm trying to do, which is separate myself from [the show]. By still being with it, it [would be] very hard to ask people to see you as something else. And it's kind of essential to do my job, for people to come and see me and not see Jon Snow."
On his new role on 'Industry'
For now, Harington is focused on his latest role as Sir Henry Much on "Industry."
After being a fan of the first couple seasons, the actor joined the show -- no audition required -- after his team reached out to the creators, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay.
Despite the show being set in the banking world, Harington shared how he convinced the creators to let him keep his beard for the role.
"One of the first things I said to Mickey and Kon was, 'You guys are running a sexy show here. And I know you're going to want me to shave, because it's banking isn't it? And I just do not look sexy without a beard. I look like a tired child. No one's gonna believe that Marisa [Abela, who plays Yasmin] would go for me,'" he recalled. "They agreed, thankfully."
As for his status as a "hunk" or "heartthrob," from "Game of Thrones" to "Eternals" and now to "Industry," Harington put his feelings as bluntly as possible.
"I just think it's a stupid word. Anytime I see a young male actor bandied about as being a hunk or heartthrob, it minimizes them to their appearance," he said. "We shouldn't do that to women, we shouldn't do it to men. That's just how I feel about it."
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