Watching House of the Dragon is harder for Kit Harington than most.
The actor played Jon Snow for eight seasons of the HBO show’s predecessor, Game of Thrones, which finished in 2019.
The new show, which was met with widespread acclaim after its release last summer, is based on George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, and is set roughly 200 years before the events of Thrones.
On the red carpet for his new Apple TV+ series, Extrapolations, Harington revealed that he’d watched “the first few episodes” of House of the Dragon.
“I loved it. I think they’ve done a fantastic job with it. Really great job, and I think all the acting in it’s superb,” he told Extra TV.
However, the actor added that “it’s hard for me to watch because I lived in it for so long”.
“There’s a pain there, you know? So I’m working my way through it slowly,” he added.
Asked to clarify what he meant by “pain”, Harington said: “It’s like you’re watching other people in your costumes.”
Harington’s co-star Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) recently admitted to having the same feelings.
She told Variety earlier this year that she hadn’t been able to watch the prequel show yet.
“It’s too weird. I’m so happy it’s happening. I’m over the moon about all the awards… I just can’t do it. It’s so weird. It’s so strange,” she said.
“It’s kind of like someone saying, ‘You want to go to this school reunion that’s not your year? Want to go to that school reunion?’ That’s how it feels. I’m avoiding it.”
At this year’s Golden Globes, House of the Dragon beat out competition from Apple TV’s Severance, and Netflix’s The Crown, Better Caul Saul and Ozark to claim the award for Best Television Drama.
Last June, Martin confirmed that a spin-off series centred on Jon Snow was in the works, and that it had been Harington’s idea.
No further details about the spin-off have been given yet.
