‘Game of Thrones’ Star Kit Harington Originally Said It Would Be ‘Painful’ to Watch ‘House of the Dragon’
Kit Harington ended his run as Jon Snow on Game of Thrones more than three years ago. But, the HBO fantasy series will forever be an important part of his life. He met Rose Leslie (Ygritte) on the set in season 2, and they are now happily married with a son. Harington also pitched a sequel series titled Snow, which is in early development. And that could mean fans will see him back in the career-making role in the near future.
But when it was revealed that HBO was expanding its Game of Thrones universe with the prequel House of the Dragon, Harington originally said it would be “painful” to watch.
Kit Harington originally thought watching ‘House of the Dragon’ would be ‘painful’
In the summer of 2021 — an entire year before the House of the Dragon premiere — Harington told the Associated Press that it “might be painful” to watch the prequel when it premiered because “there’s emotion connected to that for me.”
“I think to see people get into outfits and costumes, that resemble what we wore for all those years [on Game of Thrones], and it [has] the same music and style and tone, but not be in it is always going to feel — There’s going to be a rawness there,” Harington said, per Insider.
Kit Harington praises the prequel for ‘doing its own thing’
Now that Harington has had a chance to see the first few episodes of House of the Dragon, the Brit has changed his tune about that predicted pain when watching the prequel. While promoting his new film Baby Ruby at the Toronto International Film Festival, Harington told Entertainment Tonight Canada that he is “really enjoying” House of the Dragon.
“I’m really enjoying it. My friend Miguel [Sapochnik] showrun it, so I’m really enjoying it. I think they’ve done a fantastic job,” Harington said. “It’s a weird one to start a whole new show in the same kind of realm and to make it its own thing, and I think that they’ve really done that.”
‘House of the Dragon’ has been a hit for HBO
After the divisive final season of Game of Thrones, Harington wasn’t the only one who was worried about House of the Dragon. The fan interest and hype ahead of the premiere wasn’t what you would expect for the follow-up to the biggest show of the past decade. But, that skepticism has turned to satisfaction for many fans after seeing the first few episodes of the prequel.
HBO announced that more than 25 million people watched the House of the Dragon pilot, including 10 million live viewers. Those live viewer numbers have continued to increase each week — including a five percent ratings bump in episode four, per Variety.
The first episodes have been so good that many fans have literally forgotten the Game of Thrones disaster that happened three years ago. And that fact could help Harington’s Snow get the green light.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO. All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are now playing on HBO Max.
