Kit Harington has spoken out about his relationship with sobriety and addiction in a new interview.
The Game of Thrones actor, who played Jon Snow in all eight seasons of the fantasy drama, went to rehab in 2019 for addiction, with alcohol being one of the contributing factors.
Now the father of a baby son with wife and former co-star Rose Leslie, Harington has been sober for nearly three years.
He is currently playing the title role in Shakespeare’s Henry V at London’s Donmar Warehouse, and has likened the character to an addict.
“What happens to a person when they put down one lifestyle and cross to a different thing? And if that different thing is power, what does that look like?” he said in a conversation with The Guardian. “Addiction gone wrong is a very selfish trait.
“Even a sober addict can be a very selfish person. It’s a self-centred disease.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Harington spoke about his own relationship with addiction and how acting gives him a “high” that he’s now learned to relax from afterwards.
Speaking about returning to the theatre, he said: “In a week’s time, I’m going to go out, stand on stage and get applause and it’s going to be a huge rush and a high. The trouble is, I never really wanted to come down from that high.
“Now, I’ve learned how I do that and I’m much happier for it.”
He confirmed that he’s “well on [his] path to recovery” and recommended sobriety to others who might be considering it: “All I can say to anyone thinking about it is it’s a wonderful way of living your life. It saved me, for sure.”
Harington has spoken about his mental health publicly before; he previously revealed that he sought therapy in between seasons five and six of Game of Thrones.
If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.
