‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Kit Harington Admits Fame Took A Toll On Him

“Game Of Thrones” star Kit Harington recently opened up about the mental issues he had to struggle with during his time on the HBO show. In an interview with Variety, the actor revealed that the overwhelming attention brought to his character, Jon Snow, became all too much for him to bear — too much that he had to seek out therapy to help himself.

According to Harington, his anxiety culminated when Jon Snow moved to the center of the “Game Of Thrones” narrative. When his character was putatively killed at the end of Season 5, the spotlight turned too terrifyingly intense that it became too difficult for him to reconcile it within himself. With all eyes on him, he felt so vulnerable and unsafe that he did not want to talk to anyone.

“My darkest period was when the show seemed to become so much about Jon, when he died and came back.,” he said. “I really didn’t like the focus of the whole show coming onto Jon — even though it was invalidating my problem about being the weak link because things were about Jon,” he continued.

Harington said the mania became too intense that even then-President Barack Obama had to ask network head Richard Pleper at a state dinner if Jon Snow was really dead. He also recalled passing by a street and hearing people shouting at him, asking, “Are you dead?” “At the same time you have to have this appearance. All of your neuroses — and I’m as neurotic as any doctor — get heightened with that level of focus,” he said.

It was around this time that the actor realized how the gradually increasing fame had taken its toll on his mental health. He recalled starting therapy to reverse the effect of the overwhelming attention on him, and he’s grateful it brought him to a much better place.

Now that he could see the end coming, Harington admitted feeling a huge heave of emotions getting the better of him. He recalled crying on the table read for the final season, knowing that his journey as Jon Snow was about to end.

While Harington did not give any detail as to how his character’s story would end, Harington said he was satisfied with how his story ended. For fans, that’s more than enough.