- Kit Harington recently reflected on his decade-long run on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” for Esquire’s newest cover story.
- Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said he still remembers the moment he first saw Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons and Jon’s current love interest.
- “She came in and I saw her and was like, ‘Wow,'” he told Esquire. “She takes your breath away when she walks into a room, Emilia.”
Kit Harington recently reflected on his decade-long run on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” for Esquire’s newest cover story, and he had only the highest words of praise for his costars.
Most notably, Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said he still remembers the moment he first saw Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons and Jon’s current love interest.
“I had been talking to Rich Madden” – who played Robb Stark – “at the bar, and he went, ‘I’ve just met the new Daenerys. She’s gorgeous.’ And I was like, ‘Really? I haven’t met her yet,'” Harington told Esquire.
“And then she came in and I saw her and was like, ‘Wow,'” he continued. “She takes your breath away when she walks into a room, Emilia.”
After a famously disastrous pilot, many roles were recast, and Clarke landed the role of Daenerys. She's now partially credited with rescuing the beloved show from cancellation.
Though Harington said the actors have been "best mates for years" - as both have been major players on "Game of Thrones" since the first episode - their characters didn't meet until season seven.
Read more: Here's how Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are related on 'Game of Thrones'
"That's a long time to be experiencing the same show and also the same kind of journey, me and Emilia, because we've followed the same path," Harington said. "We both came out of drama school and this was our first big show, and we became kind of the ice and fire of it all a bit - the two youngish leads, I guess."
He added: "I remember our first scene together was bizarre. We kind of looked at each other and tried not to laugh."
Harington said that despite rarely filming together over the past decade, they became close friends thanks to press events and "hanging out outside of 'Thrones.'"
"I think we're good mates because we, maybe more than anyone else, know what the other one's going through a bit," he said, adding, "But I think no one else other than Emilia will know exactly what being on 'Thrones' is like, the way we're on 'Thrones.'"
Harington is married to his "Thrones" costar Rose Leslie, who played Jon's first love interest, Ygritte. But now, Jon is in love with Daenerys.
Sunday's eighth and final season premiere of "Game of Thrones" featured several tender moments between Harington and Clarke's characters, including a somewhat gratuitous dragon-riding date and a kissing scene in front of a waterfall.
- Read more:
- 'Game of Thrones' posted behind-the-scenes footage of a hilariously uncomfortable Kit Harington filming Jon Snow's first dragon ride
- Kit Harington says the first time he worked with wife Rose Leslie was his favorite day in the history of 'Game of Thrones'
- Emilia Clarke says Kit Harington pretended to vomit while filming their 'Game of Thrones' love scenes
- 13 details you might have missed on the new season premiere of 'Game of Thrones'