Our spoiler warning today comes courtesy of Kit Harington, who told us before discussing the finale, “Anyone who watches Thrones, close your ears!†Anyone who hasn’t seen the finale, that is.
When Vulture caught up with the actor at a Cinema Society screening of How to Train Your Dragon 2 last week, we talked about the two redheads in Jon Snow’s life — Ygritte, who sadly passed last episode, and now Melisandre, who’s giving him the once-over in the finale.
First, his lost love, Ygritte — perhaps the only girl in Westeros who could make Jon Snow smile. “I saved that for their reunion,†Harington grinned. “That was completely intentional.†And yes, he’s quite aware of what the internet thinks of Jon Snow’s mopey face. “Someone sent me that, so yeah, I wanted that smile to have some impact.â€
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Harington said that when Jon Snow saw Ygritte pointing an arrow at him, “He was just happy to see her. He’s been thinking about her all season. She’s been living in his head. In the books, he keeps thinking about her red hair, and on the show, he never mentions her once, because it’s all internal for Jon,†Harington explained. “It’s like that time when you’re walking through town, and you’ve split up with an ex-girlfriend, and it’s been like a month, and all you want is just to see her. You’re trying not to see her, but you just want to see her once, in passing, on the bus or something. It’s that release. And then — arrow through the heart!â€
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Harington said he didn’t have to act much for Snow’s subsequent heartbreak scenes in episodes nine and ten, because he was mourning Rose Leslie’s departure from the show. “It was just genuine,†Harington said, “It was sad. It was a sad day’s filming. And it’s also a story arc coming to an end. Rose and me, Jon and Ygritte, that whole story arc coming to a finish, since season two. And I’ve loved working with her, and I love the Ygritte-Jon story, so it was sad seeing her go.â€
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And now that Jon’s had some closure with his grief, enter Melisandre.â€There’s a lovely moment where Carice [Van Houten] and I lock eyes over a fire, and it’s beautiful,†Harington said. “It’s one that I was really excited about when I read it, and it’s a look that I really tried to achieve with Jon. There’s a look between them, and a feeling between them, and you know Jon has a type, right?†Harington laughed. “One redhead goes, another comes along!†Melisandre has a type, too — bastards with king’s blood running in their veins. Remember Gendry?