Kit Harington has been keeping busy -- and taking more time for himself -- since the controversial 'GoT' finale aired in May.
Kit Harington has been keeping busy -- and taking more time for himself -- since the controversial Game of Thrones finale aired in May.
The 32-year-old actor said goodbye to his beloved character, Jon Snow, after playing him for nearly a decade, and prior to the finale, was candid about happily moving on from the legendary HBO show. But he's set to celebrate the show again this Sunday given that the series earned a whopping 32 nominations at this year's Emmy Awards -- including Outstanding Drama Series -- for its eighth and final season.
"The last season of Thrones seemed to be designed to break us," Harington told GQ Australia in January. "Everyone was broken at the end. I don't know if we were crying because we were sad it was ending or if we were crying because it was so f**king tiring."
"We were sleep-deprived," he continued. "It was like it was designed to make you think, 'Right, I'm f**king sick of this.' I remember everyone walking around towards the end going, 'I've had enough now. I love this, it's been the best thing in my life, I'll miss it one day -- but I'm done.'"
In March, Harington opened up about some of the intense stress he has been under as a result of starring in such a massively successful show, particularly, when his character died and came back.
"When you become the cliffhanger of a TV show, and a TV show probably at the height of its power, the focus on you is f**king terrifying," he told Variety. "You get people shouting at you on the street, 'Are you dead?' At the same time, you have to have this appearance. All of your neuroses -- and I'm as neurotic as any actor -- get heightened with that level of focus."
"It wasn't a very good time in my life," he continued. "I felt I had to feel that I was the most fortunate person in the world, when actually, I felt very vulnerable. I had a shaky time in my life around there -- like I think a lot of people do in their 20s. That was a time when I started therapy, and started talking to people. I had felt very unsafe, and I wasn’t talking to anyone. I had to feel very grateful for what I have, but I felt incredibly concerned about whether I could even f**king act."
A week after the finale aired, Harington's rep told ET in a statement that he was spending time at a wellness retreat to work on personal issues.
"Kit has decided to utilize this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues," the statement read.
According to Page Six, the actor checked himself into a luxury mental health retreat in Connecticut weeks before the Game of Thrones series finale aired on May 19, and went to the facility for issues related to stress, exhaustion and alcohol use. Harington was photographed in Connecticut later that month in pictures obtained by E! News, in a small town not too far from the wellness center he was staying at.
Although Harington was taking time off to focus on personal issues, his career has still been moving full steam ahead. During the Walt Disney Studios presentation at D23 Expo last month, it was announced that he will be in Marvel's star-studded cosmic drama, Eternals. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, revealed that Harington will play a non-Eternal character named Dane Whitman. In the comics, Dane Whitman is a sword-wielding superhero who goes by the name of Black Knight, a title that originated in medieval England during the age of Arthur.
Eternals will also feature a Game of Thrones reunion, thanks to Richard Madden's casting, which had previously been announced. ET spoke with Madden at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards, where he talked about the reunion.
"Thrilled to work with Kit again," Madden shared. "Thrilled to work with Gemma Chan and Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek and the whole cast, [an] outstanding bunch of actors."
Although Harington didn't attend the D23 Expo, he has been spotted back in London, England, since completing his stint at a wellness retreat. His first public appearance was on Sept. 11 and for a good cause -- the actor attended the BGC Charity Day in London, which honors the employees who were killed in the 9/11 terror attacks in America. Harington looked healthy and happy answering phones to raise money to benefit the charity of his choice, which in his case was Mencap, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities.
Harington also beamed in an Instagram pic that Hayek shared on Tuesday.
"I still can't believe that I'm working with #jonsnow!" his Eternals co-star wrote. "Kit you're the best!!!"
Through it all, Harington has had the support of his wife -- and his former Game of Thrones co-star -- Rose Leslie, whom he met on set in 2012 and married last June. Although a tabloid report recently claimed that Harington and 32-year-old Leslie were having marriage problems following his time at a wellness retreat, Harington's rep told Gossip Cop on Monday that the two "are very much happily married."
In June, People reported that the couple celebrated their 1-year wedding anniversary in England.
"The two are enjoying the summer, spending time with family and friends," a source told the magazine. "Kit seems well. And Rose seems happy that he is back in London. While he was in Connecticut, she was laying low. It seemed their focus was just getting Kit feeling better. And he does look better. Kit and Rose seem happy."
In his interview with GQ Australia, Harington talked about potentially having children with Leslie -- and how amazing it is that they would get to see a part of their parents' love story onscreen.
"It dawned on me, recently," Harington said. "And I have no idea if we will, but say me and Rose do have children. They'll know. They'll be able to see the genesis of their parents getting together. Which is quite a wonderful thought, really."
"I thank the show for everything," he continued. "But more than anything else, I thank it for introducing me to her."
Harington and Leslie attended the Game of Thrones season eight premiere together in New York City in April, and Harington spoke with ET about the two of them being "tethered" to the show.
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