HBO just wrapped up the second season of House of the Dragon, its Game of Thrones prequel series. Despite many fans having problems with the finale, it brought in season-high ratings, and the show is doing well enough for HBO to renew it for seasons 3 and 4, with the fourth being the last.
We've facing a pretty long break before the next new episode, and HBO is surely hoping that people use that time to catch up. But one person who won't be watching is original Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow for all eight seasons of the fantasy drama.
"I just can't watch it, I think for me I have just spent too long there," Harington told the Associated Press. "I hear it's wonderful and going really well but I don't think I'll ever watch that show."
Harington's response sounds similar to what fellow Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) said about House of the Dragon last year: “It’s too weird. I’m so happy it’s happening. I’m over the moon about all the awards…I just can’t do it. It’s so weird. It’s so strange. It’s kind of like someone saying, ‘You want to go to this school reunion that’s not your year? Want to go to that school reunion?’ That’s how it feels. I’m avoiding it.”
Basically, the two of them spent a good chunk of their formative years as professional actors knee-deep in this series, they feel a sense of ownership over it, and it would be too strange for them to watch another take on it, which I think makes sense. Clarke's metaphor about going to someone else's high school reunion is pretty on the money.
Even five years out from the end of Game of Thrones, Harington still feels a little odd about watching that series over. "I don't think I'll watch Game of Thrones again for very many years, it's taken a few years to put it in the rearview mirror," he said.
Harington is still involved with HBO, though. He'll appear in the upcoming third season of Industry, all about the high-stakes world of high finance. He plays Henry Muck, the CEO of a green tech company that's about to go public.
Industry season 3 kicks off this Sunday, August 11. As for the next season of House of the Dragon, we probably won't be watching it until 2026.
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