Kit Harington opens up about his ‘Game Of Thrones’ “breakdown”

Kit Harington has spoken about his “breakdown” caused by Game of Thrones.

The actor spoke to Ben Branson for his podcast The Hidden 20%, which interviews public figures who are also neurodivergent. In an interview with The Times, Harington says he was diagnosed with ADHD later in his life, and previously managed his ADHD by drinking, leading him into alcoholism.

Harington, who is best known for his role as Jon Snow on the hit HBO show, said Game of Thrones worsened his symptoms and his drinking. “People would treat me like the character, who was a hero and good,” he said. “But in my life, personally I didn’t feel like that at all. And that, I think, [led to] some kind of psychological scarring.

“I was drinking a lot. I was going through addiction and everything that entails and hiding things and all sorts. And that was the polar opposite of the character I was playing, who couldn’t tell a lie.”

He went on to say that people expected him to be like Snow: “The disappointment shows in their face the minute you start talking.”

Harington went on to describe his “breakdown” once Game of Thrones finished filming, naming his “rock bottom moment” when he performed in Sam Shepard’s play True West in the West End in 2018-19.

“[The] character and me did get very mixed up at that point,” he explained. “I didn’t know who I was, really. Continually drinking while playing an alcoholic. It was at its worst. It was during that play that I sort of collapsed and told people around me what was going on and finally took action.”

The actor unsuccessfully entered rehab before: “I entered rehab drunk, sobered up in there and went, ‘Ah f*** this, not you guys in a circle. No, thank you.’ And I left that pretty quick and said, ‘I’ll try to deal with this by myself.’ Which didn’t work after about four years.”

Eventually, he tried it again, where he was diagnosed with ADHD. “I realised that my life was hinging on this. Luckily it was the right place at the right time. I managed to forge a new life from there.”

In August last year, it was hinted that Harington may reprise his role as Snow in a new HBO spin-off about the character.

Elsewhere, George R. R. Martin teased last Monday (January 8) that there will be a big change to the new Game of Thrones prequel Nine Voyages.

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