Game Of Thrones

Season 6 M-Net Edge (*102) 21:00

Fantasy show Game Of Thrones (2011current) has made Kit Harington a global superstar for playing sword-swinging warrior Jon Snow. But before fame came calling, Kit worked in a bookshop where he packed shelves with copies of A Song Of Ice And Fire (1996-current), the book series that the Game Of Thrones TV series is based on.

Christopher Catesby “Kit” Haring1

ton was born in 1986 in London to playwright Deborah Jane and businessman David Richard Harington. He originally wanted to be a journalist and war correspondent, but his parents took him to a stage production of 1953 play Waiting For Godot as a 14-year-old and Kit was sold on being an actor.

While Jon Snow’s hair is real now, 2

it was a wig when Kit was first cast in the role in 2011.

Although they’ve just confirmed 3

that they’re dating, Kit says that he fell for Rose Leslie (29) while filming Game Of Thrones in 2013. She played Jon Snow’s wildling lover Ygritte. Says Kit, “If you’re already attracted to someone, then they play your love interest, it becomes very easy to fall in love.”

While Jon’s fighting White Walker 4

armies and swinging swords at his enemies, Kit’s afraid of spiders, needles and flying. He adds that he gets more and more jittery the more he flies for work, but wanting to go back to Iceland made the flight “tolerable” when Game Of Thrones filmed there in 2013.

He’s not afraid of horror movies 5

though and lists The Shining (1980) and The Ring (2002) as his favourites.

And believe it or not, he has links 6

to South Africa, on his mom’s side. Her ancestors include Count Jacob van Reenen, who moved here as part of the Dutch settlers.