Watch: Kit Harington’s monologue on “SNL”
Warning: Video contains content some may find offensive
Actor Kit Harington hosted “Saturday Night Live” this week and the variety show made plenty of use of the “Game of Thrones” star, scattering several references to the HBO fantasy show throughout its episode.
A fresh-shaven Harington opened the show by joking that he was more of a “pre-pubescent Jon Snow,” or “Jon Snow if he played for the Yankees,” because of the New York Yankees’ reputation for enforcing a strict hair policy for players.
But the actor got only about a minute into his remarks before questioners started to interrupt him. After an audience member pestered him about spoilers, several familiar “Game of Thrones” faces had exchanges with Harington.
Emilia Clarke, who plays Queen Danaerys Targaryan, asked Harington if he remembered anything from the show, since she’d forgotten what happens in the final season. John Bradley, who plays Jon Snow’s friend Samwell Tarly, asked Harington if the two would hang out now that “Game of Thrones is finished. The Night King (played by “SNL” cast member Pete Davidson) echoed Bradley’s question — in both cases, Harington turned them down.
He also fielded a “Harry Potter” question, prompting a section of the audience to leave when Harington revealed he was from “Game of Thrones,” not from J.K. Rowling’s hit series.
Lastly actress Rose Leslie, who played wildling Ygritte for several seasons of “Game of Thrones” and is married to Harington, asked him how the couple would make any money following his departure from the show. She also asked when he would be regrowing his beard.
Watch: “SNL” imagines new HBO shows
“Game of Thrones” begins its eighth and final season in a week and so “SNL” imagined some of the spinoffs possible following the show’s conclusion.
“Castle Black”: A drama with Harington playing his “Game of Thrones” character Jon Snow, in love with a White Walker (played by Heidi Gardner)
“Arya”: A cartoon about high school student Arya Stark
“The Queen of King’s Landing”: A comedy with Jon Snow’s friend Samwell Tarley (played by Kyle Mooney) and Gilly (played by Cecily Strong)
Other fake show ideas included “Cersei and the City,” “No Ballers,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Melisandre,” “Dire Guys,” “Hodor’s House,” and “Wildling Out.”
Last but not least, Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T did a brief “scene” from a proposed crime drama called “Game of Thrones: Special Victims Unit,” based on the long-running “Law and Order” spinoff.
“Saturday Night Live” also referenced new “Game of Thrones” cookies in a joke on “Weekend Update,” and noted “Game of Thrones” fan and “SNL” cast member Leslie Jones used Harington to act out her favorite fantasies from the show during a promotional clip for this week’s episode.
Peter Bailey-Wells can be reached at peter.bailey-wells@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @pbaileywells.
