The Real Reason Kit Harington Took Time Off After Game Of Thrones

"Game of Thrones" launched the careers of several stars who've gone on to become household names, including Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Kit Harington. Harington was nominated for and won several awards for his portrayal of Jon Snow, the brooding young warrior who was believed to be the illegitimate son of Ned Stark (Sean Bean) — and he hasn't been the same since the show ended.

Despite his success on "Game of Thrones" and the fame that followed, Harington publicly took a break from the spotlight in 2019 after the show ended. Harington had been open about his mental health struggles during filming, and that seemed to culminate in his decision to check into a wellness retreat to "work on some personal issues," as reported by CNN.

Harington recently spoke on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show" and explained more behind his decision to take a break from working after "Game of Thrones" wrapped, revealing for the first time what the real reason was.

While speaking on "The Jess Cagle Show" (and transcribed in The Hollywood Reporter), Harington explained that the intensity, violence, and overall taxing requirements of "Game of Thrones" impacted him personally, which led to his brief hiatus in 2019. "I went through some mental health difficulties after Thrones, and during the end of Thrones, to be honest," he revealed to Cagle. "I think it was directly due to the nature of the show and what I had been doing for years."

Harington has spoken about the conflicting feelings he had during the last season of "Game of Thrones," telling GQ, "The last season of Thrones seemed to be designed to break us. Everyone was broken at the end. I don't know if we were crying because we were sad it was ending or if we were crying because it was so f***ing tiring. [...] 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.'"

Thankfully, Harington had the support and opportunity to take a break and focus on his mental health once the show ended, and he told Cagle he was "really happy [he] did that. We'll never accuse Kit Harington of knowing nothing about his personal well-being.