Kit Harington Shares Strategy to Cope with Nervousness While Filming First-Ever Scene with “Game of Thrones ”Costar Peter Dinklage

Victoria EdelFri, June 5, 2026 at 7:39 PM UTC

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Kit Harington (left) and Peter Dinklage (right) in 'Game of Thrones'Credit: Oliver Upton; Helen Sloan -

Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage reflected on starring together in Game of Thrones

Harington, who had previously appeared on stage, said his very first on-camera acting was opposite Dinklage, and he was incredibly nervous

The pair also reflected on the fame they found as the show, which ran from 2011 to 2019, became a phenomenon

Kit Harington filmed his very first TV scene with Peter Dinklage, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Harington, 39, and Dinklage, 56, reunited for Variety's Actors on Actors, published June 5. On Game of Thrones, Harington played Jon Snow, the bastard of Winterfell who decides to join the Night's Watch. Dinklage played Tyrion Lannister, who uses his cleverness and wit to cope with his father's rejection of him. Harington and Dinklage hadn't seen each other in seven years, since Game of Thronesended in 2019.

"This is going to be painful for you," Harington told Dinklage. He began to say, "I am now the age —" but Dinklage interrupted, "Oh, f---, I hate this."

"That you were when I first met you," Harington continued. "My first-ever scene on camera was with you." Before he was cast in the show, he had only appeared on stage.

Kit Harington in 'Game of Thrones'Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO

Harington was incredibly nervous about filming that first scene. "I remember thinking, 'I've just got to be really still. That's acting for cameras. To be as still as I possibly can be, then say my lines, then go back to stillness,' " he said.

Watching Dinklage, who had been in movies like Elf, Penelope and Death at a Funeral, Harington thought, "Why is that guy moving so much?"

Dinklage joked that he was, "Overacting. Bad acting. Being a ham."

Harington continued, "And then I realized, no, you were just so much more experienced. I was like, 'Just freeze. If you freeze, nothing can go wrong.' "

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Dinklage defended Harington's Jon, however. "Jon Snow can be sort of a frozen character. Tyrion is a bit more fun than Mr. Killjoy. Mr. Do the Right Thing," he said.

Harington also reflected on how green he was about the acting industry in general. "For me, I had no idea what 'huge' was. I didn't know what pilot season was. I knew what the Emmys were. I knew the letters "HBO" because I knew The Sopranos. And I knew I was in an American TV show," he said. "That was huge, just being employed. But it was an alarming realization when it started to be a success. It was like, 'OK, this is good, but it's getting a bit scary now.' "

Peter Dinklage in 'Game of Thrones'Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO

Game of Thrones premiered in 2011. Its first season had strong ratings, but by season two, the show had become a bona fide phenomenon and eventually passed The Sopranos for the most viewers of an HBO show ever. The show won 59 Emmy Awards, including winning outstanding drama series four times. Dinklage won four Emmys for the show's eight seasons, and was nominated an additional four times. Harington received two Emmy nominations.

Dinklage said he didn't feel the success of the show until he left Belfast, which stood in as Winterfell's north and moved to film in "exotic locations in the warm weather."

"I'm sorry. Exotic locations?" Harington joked. "I didn't leave Belfast."

The sprawling ensemble cast of Game of Thrones also included Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Richard Madden, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Alfie Allen and Gwendoline Christie. Harington is married to Rose Leslie, who starred with him on the series as the wilding Ygritte. Earlier this year, he starred in The Dreadful with Turner.

Harington had also received considerable buzz for his role in Industry as Henry Muck. He joined the show during its third season. Dinklage starred in season one of Dexter: Resurrection, a sequel series to Dexter.

Game of Thrones, which is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, continues to receive the spin-off treatment. Season three of the prequel series House of the Dragon will premiere this June; the show focuses on the "Dance of the Dragons," the civil war that relied on dragon warfare. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, about Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, wrapped up its first season this winter, and a second season is expected in 2028. A prequel movie, about King Aegon I Targaryen's conquest, roughly 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, is also in development.

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