WARNING: This Content Contains Spoilers
Finally, the HBO TV series Game of Thrones has released their final season teaser trailer. The trailer begins by depicting one of the most favored families, the Starks, confronting their soon-to-be fate. The final season is stated to premier on April 14, containing two hour-long episodes in order to compact the whole story. Originally written by George R. R. Martin, this book-adapted show began its tedious journey back in 2011 and has since then increased its popularity. With each new season, the show’s ratings have gone up and this nine year time span has created a significant impact on the lives of many cast members. However, this doesn’t stop some from admitting their anticipation towards the show’s conclusion.
Kit Harington began this show as one of the most underappreciated characters in the fictional universe. Progressively, his character has built a respectable rapport. Mirroring this growth in today’s society, Harington has benefited profusely from the show. By starring in more films, his recognizability has grown, allowing him to receive more paid sponsorships. He was also the fifth highest paid actor on American TV, earning around $1 million per episode. This wasn’t the only thing Harington gained from playing Jon Snow. In 2012, he met his now wife, Rose Leslie, in season two of the show. The rivaling characters soon sparked a love affair, followed closely by the death of Leslie’s character in the fourth season, ending her Game of Thrones career but winning the heart of the adored Jon Snow. They married last year before the release of the show’s seventh season.
To many, the life of an actor is a game of never-ending pretend with all the perks of reality. This glorified lifestyle is something that many work hard to achieve, but society views it solely as entertainment. There are countless award shows and prizes intended to prove the importance of one’s endeavors in this industry, but it’s still highly underappreciated by the public. This becomes increasingly clear whenever an actor expresses their honest thoughts on how it feels to live a life in the spotlight. The public rejects and critiques these humanistic qualities, believing that the benefits should make up for any conflicts.
Looking back at an interview between Kit Harington and Digital Spy in 2017, the cherished actor explained that although he and his co-workers enjoyed this journey, they each couldn’t wait until they had their freedom back. More recently in an interview with GQ Australia, Harrington expressed how truly “done” the cast and himself were with Game of Thrones. He claimed that the final season was “designed to break us,” emphasizing that, “it was so fucking tiring. We were sleep deprived…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.’” This isn’t the first time actors have expressed their displeasure towards having to live in the spotlight. Some wish they had the luxury of having a normal and more reclusive lifestyle, but many are forced to accept that that’s not an option.
It’s reasonable to understand where these actors are coming from, and in this moment, the audience is forced to face facts: the life of an actor isn’t as glorious and easy as we imagine it to be. The effort they put into entertaining society is equal to or more than the same amount of effort we’re forced to put in our daily jobs. The bottom line is that acting is still a job, and similar to any other job, the way you get good at it, is by being passionate. Being passionate means more work, more work means less free time, and less free time means you’re making progress. Although it’s saddening to hear that one of your most favored shows is coming to an end and one of the main characters can’t wait, Harington is more than valid. His passionate efforts have contributed and help shape Game of Thrones into what it is today, and for that we must respect his desire to be free after such an exhausting journey.