Kit Harington Didn’t Think ‘Game of Thrones’ Would Be a Success

Former “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington has revealed how he didn’t think that HBO’s epic fantasy series would be a success. During a recent interview, the British actor explained that he didn’t originally have high hopes that the series would make it past a single season and couldn’t have imagined it would turn into the massive global phenomenon that it ultimately became. 

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Kit Harington Discusses His Initial Thoughts on ‘Game of Thrones’ After Being Cast

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During an interview with the outlet Mr Porter, Harington discussed how he was happy to be cast in “Game of Thrones” but did not believe that it would be a huge success. While he and his fellow cast members were all professional, he explains that there was a general feeling that they should enjoy the filming while it lasted.

When the interviewer brings up the idea that Harington, fellow “Game of Thrones” star Richard Madden, and their group of friends had little hope of the show doing well, he explained that they were so sure it would flop that they didn’t bother to keep their merchandise rights.

“I know,” Harington recalls. “We sold our merchandise rights at the start because none of us thought it would take off like that. We filmed that first season and it was like one big party. We all worked hard and took our roles seriously, but we had a lot of fun, too. We thought, well, this will last a season and then we’ll go off and do other things and all stay in touch.”

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Kit Harington Explains Why He Hasn’t Watched the Final Season of ‘Game of Thrones’

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In the same interview, Harington also revealed that he hasn’t seen the last season of “Game of Thrones.” According to the actor, this is due to the fact that he was struggling with his mental health at the time and was in rehab when the final batch of episodes were being broadcast on television. 

“Yes, I still haven’t watched the final season,” Harington explained. “I have really odd feelings about it because I wasn’t very well.”

He continued, “I was in rehab when the final episode aired, so I missed it and then I came out of rehab and had other things on my mind. And then I actually think I look rather unwell in that final season. I’m not well. I’m struggling with alcohol at that point. But I’m quite proud of the work I was doing.”