Easily the most visually impressive scene from the Game of Thrones season 8 premiere was Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen riding through the air on Dany’s dragons, a sequence that seemed plucked right from a YA fantasy novel…in a good way. The YA vibes continued when the pair landed in front of a beautiful waterfall and made out. It would almost be too saccharine for this show if Jon didn’t find out 10 minutes later that Dany was his aunt and that he was her rival for the Iron Throne. Not that feels more like Game of Thrones.
Anyway, actor Kit Harington talked to The Daily Mirror about what it was like to play that intimate moment. “Emilia and I had been best friends over a seven-year period and by the time we had to kiss it seemed really odd,” he said. Then there’s the matter of Clarke being close with Harington’s wife Rose Leslie, who played Ygritte on the show. “Emilia, Rose and I are good friends, so even though you’re actors and it’s your job, there’s an element of weirdness when the three of us are having dinner and we had a kissing scene that day.”
Not that it was that bad: “She’s wonderful and I love Emilia and I’ve loved working with her. And it’s not hard to kiss her, is it?”
That notwithstanding, you got the idea that Dany’s dragons didn’t approve of their mother making out with her new boyfriend in front of them, based on the glare they gave him. Speaking on Vanity Fair’s Still Watching Podcast, Paula Fairfield — the woman responsible for creating the show’s soundscapes, including the dragon noises — gave some insight into what they may be feeling.
“My story of Drogon is he’s the reincarnation of Khal Drogo, [Dany’s] hot husband from Season 1,” Fairfield said. “That relationship I always have in mind when choosing Drogon’s [sound] palette.” Fairfield also talked about the moment in season 7 when Jon got up close and personal with Drogon, and the dragon demonstrated his power:
My story that I told myself is that he was being dominant. ‘I can piss way farther than you.’ He was kind of nice to him. ‘Maybe you’re fam.’ My comment in my head before he flew away was: ‘Remember, bro, she only rides me.’
So I guess Drogon was jealous? Show me that love triangle.
Back to Harington, he talked about how much he’s grown since he started on Game of Thrones a decade ago. “I look back at who I was when I started Thrones and it’s emotional because that Kit is so different from me today,” he said. “That Kit was just amazed at everything but now when I’m on a red carpet and there are flashbulbs, I take it for granted…There are times when I’ve been a p—k and been egotistical. But I have always had people around who have been truthful with me and put me right.”
So looking back, there’s not much I would change. The mistakes I’ve made have made me who I am and I’m happy with who I am.
So obviously Game of Thrones was a hugely positive experience for him, but after years on the punishing Thrones set, he doesn’t sound eager to return to longform drama in the near future. “Unless something amazing turns up that I can’t say no to, it would be hard for me to sign a six-year deal on a show,” he said. “I’m looking at theatre, limited series and movies. TV has really developed, which means I can do interesting drama. Just not with too many seasons!”
We’ll check back in a decade or so and see how he feels.
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