Kit Harington on Jon Snow’s big year and the homoeroticism of the Night’s Watch

On Game of Thrones, some character always seems to be getting pushed into the role of the romantic hero. The show began with Ned Stark taking the traditional hero’s journey story. After his death, his son Robb picked up the torch in Seasons 2 and 3. And with HIS death, the role has fallen to the Bastard of Winterfell, Jon Snow. This season, we’ve watched as Jon came into power and tried to do the right thing.

Harington’s noticed the difference in his character as the season’s progressed. With great power comes great responsibility, and also more lines to learn.

“Usually Jon’s got a good lot of scenes,” he says, “but I don’t speak much. Quiet character. This year he talks a lot, because he’s got to be a politician, which is really weird for me. I also had more filming dates than, I think, anyone. There was a lot of Jon Snow stuff. I had a big season.”

Still, getting to the point where the scenes are depending on him didn’t come without a cost. “So many people have left and died,” he said. “It’s getting thinner and thinner on the ground each year. I’m just holding on to those people that have been there from the start, the core group, and wishing and praying that none of them die.”

It’s hard not to get attached to the characters and grieve when they go. Harington admits that part of it is how tight knit they are, especially the Night’s Watch.

“There is something quite homoerotic about that,” Harington says. “They all bunk up together. I haven’t really thought about it too much, but they’re brotherly. There’s brotherly love.”

This being an interview with Out, the publication was very interested in the gender non-conformity of the show. Harington agrees that Game of Thrones is notable for being more open about character’s sexuality.

“It’s not just gay and straight,” Harington says. “We’ve got bisexual characters as well, which is rarely done on TV. I like the fact that we deal with a broad spectrum of sexuality.”

When it comes to equal opportunity nudity, however, Harington takes a different tack. Many of the actors on the show have agreed that there should be more male nudity to balance out all the naked women. But Kit is a shy one. He’s admitted that he’s uncomfortable being called a hunk, and has said that the label is “demeaning.” After making that observations, he was criticized in the media, something he isn’t happy about.

“I found it unfair, really, some of the stuff I read [in response],” he says. “I was making a point, which was that I think young men do get objectified, do get sexualized unnecessarily. As a person who is definitely in that category, as a young leading man in this world, I feel I have a unique voice to talk about that. I was making a point to sort of say, ‘It just needs to be highlighted.’ With every photo shoot I ever go to, I’m told to take off my shirt, and I don’t.”

Color me disappointed! Then again, there’s always Pompeii, which may have been a box office flop, but Kit sure did take his shirt off a lot.

“It’s a gladiator movie!” he says. “You have your top off. He’s a fighter. He’s supposed to be very fit. I got very fit.”

Let’s hope he maintained that level of fitness for this year of Game of Thrones. Between traveling to Hardhome and the promise of major battles in the second half of the season, Jon will need everything he has to survive.

• Published on 05/15/2015 at 11:15 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:04 PM CDT