Game of Thrones made Kit Harington a household name, and since that epic series’ controversial ending in 2019, he’s moved beyond the heroic Jon Snow by starring in a diverse array of movies and TV shows, and not always as an upstanding, heroic type.
The former King in the North has studiously avoided returning to fantasy TV or film since being set free from Westeros, perhaps fearing typecasting. His choices over the last six years have seen him gravitate toward the romantic, and also toward playing businessmen, with forays into psychological horror as well.
Harington’s only appearance in a major franchise since his time on GoT ended came in a superhero movie that disappointed at the box office, and left his potential ongoing universe role up in the air.
Harington seems eager to shed his good guy Jon Snow image, taking a handful of roles that show him in an edgier light. Still, he continues making room for parts that mostly require him to be handsome and lovable. Meanwhile, talk of Harington returning in a Jon Snow spinoff has cooled, leaving the star free to stretch his acting muscles.
Criminal: UK
Harington’s first TV role after GoT came in season 2, episode 2 of the Netflix police procedural show Criminal: UK, part of the streamer’s Criminal franchise. The unique anthology series focuses on a special division of the Metropolitan Police as they interrogate suspects in various crimes, with all the action set inside the interrogation room.
Criminal: UK sees Harington taking a hard left away from the heroic King in the North, playing a slimy businessman named Alex, who is subjected to interrogation by the Metropolitan Police as part of a rape investigation.
Modern Love
2021 saw Harington again appearing on the small-screen in a one-off, with a role in Prime Video’s anthology romantic-comedy series Modern Love. Developed by John Carney, the show adapts a popular New York Times column into half-hour episodes covering love in all its forms.
Harington’s season 2 Modern Love episode, “Strangers on a ‘Dublin’ Train,” tackles romance during COVID, as his character Michael meets Lucy Boynton’s Paula on the mode of transportation indicated by the episode title on the eve of lockdown.
Disappointment ensues thanks to COVID rules, which prevent Michael and Paula from making it to their arranged meeting scheduled for two weeks hence, but love may indeed prove stronger than quarantine in the end.
Friends: The Reunion
Harington makes an appearance as himself in 2021’s Friends: The Reunion, a special hosted by James Cordon, that streamed on HBO Max. The star was one of many celebrities who contributed to the special with their memories of growing up with the classic sitcom.
Eternals
Immortal beings arise to defend Earth in Marvel’s notorious 2021 box office disappointment. Meant to introduce a whole new team of superheroes to the MCU, with hopes for ongoing adventures, Eternals grossed just $402 million worldwide, while earning pans from critics and fans alike.
Harington has just a small role in Eternals, playing history professor Dane Whitman, a human who is dating Gemma Chan’s immortal Sersi. A potentially bigger Harington role in the MCU is teased in a post-credits scene, where it’s hinted that Whitman might become The Black Knight in the upcoming Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali.
It was reported in 2023 that Black Knight had been cut out of Blade entirely.
Eternals feels like an eternity ago with the MCU being re-thought after a series of misfortunes, and chances that Harington will actually play the Black Knight, in Blade or anything else, have seemingly dwindled to near-zero.
Baby Ruby
For his first starring role in a movie post-GoT, Harington chose a difficult assignment indeed, playing the partner of a woman having a shocking postpartum breakdown in a mind-bending psychological horror film.
Baby Ruby stars Noémie Merlant as Jo, a lifestyle influencer whose happy dream life becomes a brutal nightmare of apparent psychosis after she gives birth to her first child. Harington’s Spencer must deal with his partner’s increasingly paranoid and aggressive behavior, as the film hints that the horrors may not all be in Jo’s mind.
Extrapolations
AppleTV+ produced this ambitious multi-perspective anthology series about the effects of climate change over the course of decades, literally extrapolating from current times to predict how things may play out environmentally, socially, and politically.
Harington has a key role in Extrapolations, appearing in multiple episodes as Nicholas Bilton, who begins the series as an ambitious entrepreneur, and ends it as the world’s richest man. Bilton’s wealth is accumulated at the expense of Earth, and he is finally called to account for his crimes against the planet.
Blood For Dust
Blood for Dust is a low-budget independent crime thriller that played the film festival circuit back in 2023, seeing general release in 2024, with critics mainly praising it as a gritty, well-acted action film.
Harington plays a character named Ricky, a smuggler dealing in guns and drugs, who recruits his down-on-his-luck salesman friend Cliff (Scoot McNairy) to work for him. Double-crosses ensue, leading Cliff and Ricky to become adversaries in a dangerous game.
Playing the anti-heroic Ricky represents another attempt by Harington to shed the puppy-dog-eyed hero persona he became known for in Thrones.
A Ghost Story For Christmas
In another off-beat choice of roles, Harington stars in the long-running, off-and-on British anthology horror series A Ghost Story for Christmas, in an episode based on a short story by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle.
“Lot No. 249” is a long way from Sherlock Holmes. In it, Harington plays the brilliantly-named Abercrombie Smith, an Oxford student who learns that his neighbor (Freddie Fox) is killing off his rivals with the aid of a revived Egyptian mummy.
The Beast Within
The Beast Within contains possibly Harington’s darkest role to date. The psychological horror film concerns a young girl named Willow who seeks to unravel a mystery concerning her parents, and discovers that her enigmatic father (Harington) is a werewolf.
Harington plays a seemingly loving character who, at night, becomes a literal beast. The story is told through the eyes of its young female protagonist, and delves into the theme of family trauma.
Industry
Having played an arrogant businessman accused of rape in Criminal: UK and a planet-destroying tech billionaire in Extrapolations, Harington went to the well for a third time in Industry season 3, playing a green energy CEO with the delightful name of Henry Muck.