Kit Harington gained immense appreciation and stardom for his famous role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. Recently, the star revealed that his GoT journey led him to struggle with mental health issues. He has also said earlier that the intense and brutal HBO show became a massive reason for his declining mental health. The repetition of his statements once again cast a shadow of doubt on the potential Jon Snow spin-off.
Following the conclusion of Game of Thrones, a Jon Snow spin-off was also stated to be being developed by the studio. However, we only got the critically acclaimed prequel show House of the Dragon. After the statements by Kit Harington on his mental health struggles, now it does not look like the actor will be very keen to return to his iconic role.
How did Game of Thrones affect Kit Harington?
Game of Thrones led Kit Harington to get popular in the role of Jon Snow. Over time, he became a pop culture icon and an absolute fan favorite. However, it was not a completely good experience for Kit Harington. The actor said on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the nature of the show affected him mentally.
“I went through some mental health difficulties after Thrones, and during the end of Thrones, to be honest. I think it was directly due to the nature of the show and what I had been doing for years.”
Recently, the Eternals actor conversed with host Ben Branson on the Hidden 20% podcast (via Deadline). In the podcast, he stated that he went into rehab for alcoholism in 2019 and was also treated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)- “I realized that my life was hinging on this. Luckily, it was the right place at the right time. I managed to forge a new life from there.”
Harington said that he entered rehab drunk and went, “F—k this, not you guys in a circle. No, thank you.” He finally got to know about his ADHD when he went into another rehab. He revealed that the fame earned by GoT became a nightmare as he tried hard to maintain his image and was conscious about everything he was doing- “That is a dangerous rabbit hole to fall down, because you find all of the bad stuff that people are saying as well as the nice stuff.”
Currently, he is free from alcoholism and focuses on his two children. He shares a son and a daughter with his Game of Thrones co-star and wife Rose Leslie.
What do we know about the Jon Snow spin-off?
Among all the spin-offs that were in discussion, only one was slated to tell about the events after the main series. However, the Jon Snow spin-off did not receive much update. As per HBO CEO Casey Bloys’ update on November 2023 (via TVLine), the studio did not greenlight the Jon Snow spin-off yet despite the script being developed.
The show was expected to take place after the events of the last season of Game of Thrones. In the final season, we saw Jon Snow return to the Walls with the Wildlings. It was speculated that the story would be set around a new threat or other internal politics. However, looking at the statement of Kit Harington, it does not feel like he would be too excited to return to the show.
Besides House of the Dragon, another prequel series titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was also announced last year. The series will be based on the story of “Dunk and Egg”, centering around a knight and his Targaryen squire, and will be lighter in tone than the other two GoT shows.
House of the Dragon Season 2 was not affected by the strikes and will be streamed on August 2024 on Max.
