Kit Harington Opens Up About Game of Thrones Finale Backlash: “It Was Rushed, We Were Tired”
Kit Harington recently met with GQ Magazine to talk about the backlash associated with the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, in which he famously played Jon Snow. The eighth and final season, which came in May 2019, met general criticism from fans and critics, earning the label “rushed.”
Acknowledging the Criticism
Harington joins others sharing his remarks, showing the picture of the challenges that the cast and crew had to overcome when producing what was greatly expected to be an extraordinary ending to a series that had captured so many audiences for almost a decade.
Harington recently spoke openly how he felt that “mistakes were made, story-wise, towards the end maybe, with some of the interesting choices not quite working.” His admission to these failures seems to align significantly with audience sentiment, as they did feel the final season was not in tandem with the high standards of narrative excellence this show had set for itself.
Exhaustion and Creative Choices
Among the major reasons is the fact that years of non-stop heavy production had taken their toll; the cast and crew were fatigued, which clearly transferred into the final season. Harington further explained, “If there was any fault with the end of Thrones, it’s that we were all so f**king tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer.” Inevitably, such exhaustion from filming such an expansive and intricate series must have taken its toll on the more creative process of its storytelling.
As written, Harington’s comments suggest that having pressure to wrap up this sprawling narrative in only six episodes means some depth and richness were sacrificed by comparison to the rest. “I do understand some people felt it was a bit rushed and I wouldn’t disagree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative,” he added, taking account of the tight corner which the production team found themselves in.
Character Arcs Critiques
The final season of Game of Thrones got a lot of flak regarding how it dealt with character arcs, especially with regards to Daenerys Targaryen’s, portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Fans were very disappointed by how her character’s journey ended because it wasn’t in sync with all the buildup given in the other seasons. Harington reinforces the point that it was too fast to leave space for the proper development of the characters something done well in the previous seasons.
Harington himself spoke of how the production had taken a personal toll on him: “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.” His fatigue speaks to the deep commitment it took to play a character who would be pushed to monumental challenges and emotional turmoil.
The Impact of the Finale
Speaking about his journey through the final season, Harington said, “I went in and everyone loved Thrones; I came out and everyone hated it … I thought, ‘What the f**k is going on?'” What was seen was a hard-hitting flip side to the early praise that had been heaped upon the show. It most importantly revealed the effect the finale had on not just the audience but also the actors who, over the years, have put their performances into these characters.
Jon Snow’s Future .
In addition to discussing the ending, Harington did address the teased spin-off series centered on Jon Snow. News had broken in June that HBO was working on a new project that would expand Jon Snow’s life beyond the original series after the events of GAME OF THRONES. However, Harington recently confirmed that, as of April 2024, the show is now “off the table.” He revealed he had initially responded to the pitch with a “no,” but later found that an interesting story could be made about a returning soldier.
Even though the spinoff was canceled, Harington showed interest in telling meaningful stories; he focused on doing stories that meant a lot to people.
Conclusion
Kit Harington’s open admissions about the finale of Game of Thrones help to shed some light on the adversities that the production crew had to encounter while making the final season. He came out and acknowledged how really exhausted the cast of the show was and their views regarding the creative tussles in the end. His comment comes at a time when, quite frankly, fans are still trying to make sense of reactions to the finale, which adds important nuance and sheds light on the realities of creating film and storytelling with such great expectations that are set upon it. As controversial as it may be, the question of what the legacy of Game of Thrones will be, Harington himself gave all the heart and soul to his character and the series that it deserved, leaving quite an indelible mark on the landscape of the television drama.
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