The series finale for HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones aired over two years ago and one of the show’s leading actors is speaking out about the mental health problems the show brought him. According to Deadline, during a recent interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow on the show, admitted he believes the “nature” of Game of Thrones directly influenced the mental health difficulties he experienced after the show ended.
“I went through…some mental health difficulties after Thrones and during the end of Thrones, to be honest…and I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show, and what I’ve been doing for years,” the actor expressed. “I think I took sort of a break after Thrones where ‘I don’t want to work for a year. I want to really kind of concentrate on myself’…I’m really happy I did that.”
This is not the first time Harington’s mental health is in the public eye. PopCulture writes that in the spring of 2019, reports were circulating that he checked into a rehab facility.
Harington’s overall attitude and approach have also changed over the past few years. He said, “Part of the journey since it finished…was just becoming proud of that show, and not running away from it…not running away from what it was, and who I played in it, but just owning it and being proud of everything about it.” He also acknowledges that Game of Thrones created “a real cultural impact,” which helps him look back on the show in a positive way, according to Deadline.
Perhaps, without doubt, the most significant change Game of Thrones caused in Harington’s life was that it introduced him to his wife Rose Leslie. In the show’s earlier seasons, Leslie played the Wildling character Ygritte, who was Jon Snow’s first major love interest. The couple married in 2018 and recently had their first child together. Harington expressed, “My child is a direct result of Game of Thrones. I still have very, very good friends from that show…It did nothing but wonders for me.”
The actor’s newest series, Modern Love, recently released its second season on Amazon Prime. When discussing the show, Harington said, “[Doing] this Modern Love episode was a bit like, ‘you don’t have to live in that intense place all the time. Why don’t you do something that takes the weight off? Why don’t you do something fun?’ And I think that was part of my thinking on this one.”
You can also see Harington as Dane Whitman in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie The Eternals, which releases in theaters on November 5, 2021. Harington is reunited with his former Game of Thrones co-star Richard Madden in the film. Madden played the character Robb Stark, who was the eldest of the five Stark children, in the series.
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