Even though Game of Thrones came to an end almost four years ago, the franchise lives on in the form of a wildly successful prequel. House of the Dragon is the incredibly popular successor to the HBO fantasy series, however, despite its popularity, it’s not so popular among some of the original Game of Thrones cast members. While Emilia Clarke refuses to watch the GoT prequel, her co-star Kit Harington has the opposite take, however, he's proceeding into the prequel with caution.
Kit Harington portrayed the fan-favorite Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, and he is potentially set to star in his own Jon Snow spinoff. So it wasn't surprising to find out that he has watched some of House of the Dragon, even praising the series when speaking to Extra. He did admit, though, that it was hard for him to watch, which is understandable given how long he spent on the flagship series:
I’ve seen the first few episodes… I loved it, I think they’ve done a fantastic job with it… It’s hard for me to watch because I lived in it for so long. There’s a pain there, you know? So I’m working my way through it slowly… You’re watching a lot of people in your costumes!
It sounds like Harington is a fan of House of the Dragon, and he pacing himself while watching. Since the series is a prequel, it does make things a little weird since there’s this whole new set of characters and storylines, that are directly related to the characters of Game of Thrones. While the consensus seems to be that it’s just too painful or weird to watch after being on its parent series for close to a decade, it’s clear that Harington is slowly trying to work his way through and give his support.
Taking place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon premiered in August 2022, and it focused on the Targaryen family. As the cast of House of the Dragon revels in the show’s success, it’s easy to understand why some GoT stars are finding it hard to watch since they are still connected to the OG series. I'd imagine it's hard seeing other actors tell a story in the same world with similar names, costumes, and accents. Perhaps they can follow Kit Harington’s lead and watch a little bit at a time, pacing themselves through the fantasy prequel.
Meanwhile, House of the Dragon was renewed for a second season not even a week after its premiere. Much like its predecessor, House of the Dragon was wildly successful during Season 1, and that will likely carry over into Season 2. Clearly, the Game of Thrones franchise is not slowing down any time soon, and whether the original cast is able to watch any more of the upcoming series will be something to look out for.
If it’s not too painful or weird to you to watch House of the Dragon, be sure to sign up for an HBO Max subscription so you can stream the first season now. And while we wait for Season 2, be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what’s coming soon.
