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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Beth Ure

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington shares why he took a step back from social media

Kit Harington has revealed social media became “the most dangerous thing” after he shot to fame in Game Of Thrones.

The actor revealed at a Game Of Thrones fan convention earlier this month that he had to take a step back from social media when the series first launched. He said reading negative reviews and comments about the show affected his confidence.

He landed the role of Jon Snow in one of the most popular TV shows of all time in his early 20s, and social media became ‘the most dangerous thing’ when he became famous.

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Speaking on the official Game Of Thrones podcast, the 35-year-old said: “I’d go on the internet, and I’d look at stuff and I’d look at reviews and I’d look at the comments section, that box of doom. And it screwed with me. It really screwed with me, it really damaged my confidence for a long time. And I had to learn not to look at that stuff.

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“And then that extended into my actual decision-making about social media. I was like, I don’t know what that gives me. I know what it takes, but I don’t know what it gives.

"I think each to your own and some people probably find a lot of brilliant stuff in social media, but I think for an actor in a show like this, it’s the most dangerous thing. So I had to not do that. I’m not on social media, I had to step away from that stuff.”

Harington was nominated twice for Emmy Awards for his role in the hit series, and starred alongside his wife Rose Leslie, who played his lover Ygritte in the series. He said: “I got a really stratospheric boost into this world with Game Of Thrones. I left drama school, I went and did a play and then I was in Game Of Thrones, and Game Of Thrones just blew up.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (HBO/Sky/PA)

“And so I was 21 when it all started to kick off. You think you’re grown up at 21 but you’re not and I think being in something like this is a shock to the system.

“But amazing, what better way to spend your 20s than in a show like this. I think that what it’s meant is that you look for that thing your whole career as an actor.

“That one thing that just goes big or that you’re known for. And if you have it in your 20s you’re left going ‘s**t, what now? What do I do now?'”

A new Game of Thrones spin-off is reportedly in the works, specifically following Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington.

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