Landing a part in one of TV’s most popular shows is no child’s play, but Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has a rather interesting story attached to it. The 2011 drama that spun over eight seasons was a massive success for HBO, earning $3.1 billion from HBO subscriptions, per Koi Moi. Years after his debut as Jon Snow, he opened up about a wild incident that probably helped him set his name as the central character in Game of Thrones.
Harington recalled appearing for the audition with a conspicuous black eye that might have impressed the officials. The actor had got into an ugly fight with a man the night before after a verbal spat at McDonald’s. A notable star now, the British actor thanked the stranger for the unanticipated night.
Kit Harington is grateful for the grim night at McDonald’s
The turn of fate that ensued after the 37-year-old actor visited McDonald’s with his then-girlfriend might have changed the course of his life. While Kit Harington had little to say about his acting in the audition, he credited the fight for becoming one of the heroes of Westeros.
Appearing in an interview with W Magazine in 2016, the Eternals actor was asked about his audition for Jon Snow. Therefore, Harington recollected,
“I had a black eye. I’d been in a fight the night before. I’d got in this fight with this guy in McDonald’s. I went into the McDonald’s and with this girl, I was sort of dating at the time.”
Narrating the entire story, the Pompeii star shared it was late night, and the restaurant was quite crowded. He asked a guy sitting with his girlfriend, if Harington and his partner could share the table with them—initially agreeing, the man started being “rude” to Harington’s girlfriend after they sat down. Not wanting any trouble, the actor tried to ignore him but after the man called Harington’s partner an “ugly pig”, the latter lost it. He said,
“So he got up and he just kept going. I realized that I had to that point throw the first punch otherwise a little complete w*mp and I got battered,”
The Gunpowder actor challenged the man to a fight, but he turned out to be more hefty than expected. Harington revealed that he went home clobbered by the man and showed up to the Jon Snow audition with a black eye. Yet, the actor thanked his unidentified nemesis in the end for punching him in the face.
Kit Harington struggled in his post-Game of Thrones era
After Harington’s Jon Snow was killed off in the Season 5 finale, marking the end of his character, before he was once again resurrected in the show later on, the actor faced a tumultuous time, mentally.
Talking to Variety on his journey and experience as Jon Snow, a spotlighted character of the billion-dollar show, Harington said,
“I took off the costume, and it felt like my skin was being peeled away. I was very emotional. It felt like someone was shedding me of something.”
The psychological aspects of playing a character can be shocking, as many actors have often conveyed. After Jon Snow’s death, fans would scream at him on the streets, asking if he was really dead. Even former U.S. President Barack Obama wanted an insider scoop on the matter when he asked the same question to former HBO head, Richard Plepler at a state dinner.
