It’s been a number of years since HBO’s “Game of Thrones” aired its much-maligned final season. But considering that show is one of the most popular of the past two decades, people still want to talk about it. This means Kit Harington is going to have to talk about the final season at some point. Well, that point is now.
Speaking to GQ, while promoting his role in the HBO show “Industry,” Kit Harington finally opened up about the controversial final season of “Game of Thrones.” That is to say, he fessed up to the fact that it was a bit lackluster. However, he has reasons why that final season didn’t sit well with fans.
READ MORE: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2 Review: ‘Game Of Thrones’-Level Intrigue Still Not Yet Achieved
“I think if there was any fault with the end of ‘Thrones,’ is that we were all so fucking tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer,” Harington said. “And so I understand some people thought it was rushed, and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative. I look at pictures of me in that final season, and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me.”
The final season of “Game of Thrones” was probably the most anticipated season of TV we’ve seen in the modern era. Before that, the show was firing on all cylinders, and in the age of streaming, it was a show that demanded people watch week to week. However, the show ended with a rushed final season which soured the legacy of the entire series. But with Harington saying that it was partially because the cast and crew were just so exhausted, you kinda have to give him a bit of leeway.
LISTEN: ‘Blood For Dust’: Kit Harington Talks New Crime Drama, The ‘Jon Snow’ Series, Almost Playing King Arthur & More [The Discourse Podcast]
He added, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think there were mistakes made, story-wise, towards the end maybe. I think there were some interesting choices that didn’t quite work.”
But that’s not all the “Game of Thrones” talk that Harington was willing to open up about. He also talked about why his spinoff series, titled “Snow,” never got off the ground. According to the actor, they could never quite crack it.
“What I can tell you is it was HBO that came to me and said, ‘Would you consider this?’” Harington explained. “My first reaction was ‘no.’ And then I thought there could be an interesting and important story about the soldier after the war. I felt that there might be something left to say and a story left to tell in a pretty limited way. We spent a couple of years back and forth developing it. And it just didn’t … nothing got us excited enough. In the end, I kind of backed out and said, ‘I think if we push this any further and keep developing it we could end up with something that’s not good. And that’s the last thing we all want.’”
While there are no dragons and magic, you can watch Harington in another great HBO series, “Industry” now.