A chilly night wind whips through a courtyard as Kit Harington poses for a photo, but it doesn’t faze the man who plays Game of Thrones’s Jon Snow. “I’ve had a lot worse,” he says, referring to the frigid climes of Iceland and Northern Ireland that stand in for the fictional Westeros’ frozen north in HBO’s fifth-season fantasy drama.
Figuratively speaking, the London native has had the wind at his back thanks to his role as Jon, the bastard son of Ned Stark and brave Night’s Watch guard at the towering ice wall.
A leading part in a worldwide phenomenon has helped Harington’s career “immeasurably,” he says, paving the way for film roles, including last year’s Pompeii and the upcoming World War I drama Testament of Youth (June 5). He also has been cast as the title character, a famous movie star, in the upcoming film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.
As far as handling the spotlight Thrones shines on its cast, Harington, 28, says, “If you think about it too much, you stop being you.” His hometown helps him keep perspective: “London is incredibly unimpressed by everything.”
On Thrones, Jon grew emotionally and as a leader last season, hardening as he endured the death of his love, Ygritte, while fending off a Wildling assault in the epic battle at Castle Black. Jon’s heroism, along with the timely arrival of Iron Throne hopeful Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and his army, saved Westeros’s seven kingdoms from a disastrous invasion.
“Having gone through the loss of love, loss of family, seeing death, killing people, he understands what honor, duty and heroism mean,” Harington says. “At the same time, he’s more cynical than he’s ever been. It’s like he [raised] his middle finger to Westeros and he’s saying, ‘I’m going to do it my way.’”
The young warrior’s brave actions will lead to greater challenges, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss say.
“Jon was forced into a leadership role he did not ask for in Season 4. In Season 5, he has to reckon with the consequences and responsibilities of leadership. Jon shoulders a tremendous amount of story this year, and Kit was more than equal to the challenge in everything from quiet, two-person chamber pieces to serious action.” Some of that action will come as Jon encounters foes north of the wall.
“There’s a big sort of battle later in the season in Hardhome, a big action sequence,” Harington says. “It’s probably the most stuntmen we’ve ever used, [and it] took a month to film.”
Besides protecting Westeros from northern threats, Jon must navigate a treacherous political realm.
“He’s a natural leader, [but] he’s up against a very astute politician in Stannis,” Harington says. “He stands his ground, but he’s a bit of a nervous wreck underneath, because this man is more calculating and more experienced.” Jon also must deal with Stannis’s savvy lieutenant, Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), and the enticing, supernaturally dangerous Melisandre (Carice van Houten).
“She’s instantly fascinated by Jon Snow, and he doesn’t like being around women. He’s got a mother complex because he never had a mother growing up. I think he went to the wall to escape females completely,” Harington says. Yet, Ygritte is barely gone “and another sexy redhead turns up.”
She may sense something special about Jon, whose parentage is the stuff of many Thrones rumors. “There’s a mystery about him,” Harington acknowledges. And Jon, “who has the best of hearts,” will face a difficult leadership choice that “is cold, but [needed] for the greater good. It changes him irreversibly.”
Harington is having a great time on Thrones, regardless of what happens to his character (though in the end, “you want a good death,” he says). The same can’t be said for his unsmiling character, whose one moment of joy may have been his cave-pool tryst with wildling Ygritte.
“He doesn’t see the bright side of life, and he doesn’t have much to be happy about,” Harington says. “He’s not naturally a happy person.”
By Bill Keveney
USA Today