Kit Harington reveals working for ‘Game of Thrones’ took its toll on his mental health

British actor Kit Harington arrives for the 71st Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2019. Image: AFP/Valerie Macon

Kit Harington opened up on his life after working in the fantasy drama series “Game of Thrones,” saying the show “directly” affected his mental health.

The actor explained that the “nature” of the violent and intense series personally broke him down, as seen in his interview with entertainment anchor Jess Cagle during SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” yesterday, Aug. 3.

“I went through some mental health difficulties after ‘Thrones,’ and during the end of ‘Thrones,’ to be honest,” Harington said. “I think it was directly due to the nature of the show and what I had been doing for years.”

He added that he did not want to work for a year after starring in “Game of Thrones,” instead opting to take a break.

“I really wanted to concentrate on myself. I’m really happy I did that,” the actor told Cagle.

Now that he has returned to acting, Harington noted that he was cast in “fun” projects including the romantic anthology series “Modern Love,” where he appears in the second season.

“You don’t have to live in that intense place all the time,” he said while discussing the romantic series. “Why don’t you do something that takes the weight off? Why don’t you do something fun? That was part of my thinking on this one.”

Aside from “Modern Love,” Harington is also set to appear in the Marvel film “Eternals,” alongside Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and Barry Keoghan.

The film is will be released on Nov. 5. It is helmed by Chloe Zhao, who won an Oscar for Best Director for the 2020 film “Nomadland.” Dana Cruz /ra

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