Khaberni - British actor Kit Harington, star of the "Game of Thrones" series, sparked wide controversy after he expressed his extreme anger at the renewed calls by some fans to reproduce the eighth and last season of the show, which aired in 2019 and ignited an unprecedented wave of criticism.
Harington, 39 years old, who portrayed the character "Jon Snow" from the start of the series in 2011 until its final episode, described those demands as "provocative," sharply saying, "This truly angered me... How dare you?"
The British actor, also known for his role in the series "Industry", added, "I apologize, this is just my honest feeling, but I believe this level of folly can only arise through social media," according to what was reported by the "New York Post".
A petition with millions of signatures
Harington revealed that he was undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation center concurrent with the airing of the last season during April and May of 2019, explaining that he did not initially realize the extent of the public anger that the ending of the series had caused.
But the biggest shock, according to him, was that about 1.8 million people signed a petition demanding the HBO network to reproduce the eighth season, but with "competent writers," directly pointing to the creators of the work, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
The petition accused the duo of "creative incompetence" after the original literary source of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels by George R.R. Martin, who had not finished his series by then, ran out. It stated: "This series deserves a logical final season... Surprise our expectations and make it happen, HBO."
"We were completely exhausted"
This was not the first time Harington has addressed the controversy surrounding the end of the series. In a previous interview with "GQ" magazine, he attributed the dissatisfaction among some viewers to the severe exhaustion that affected the crew during the final stages.
He stated in comments made in 2024: "If there was a flaw in the end (of Game of Thrones), it was that we were extremely tired and no longer able to continue for a longer period. I may understand those who felt the events were rushed, and perhaps I agree with them, but I don’t think there was another alternative."
An ending that divided the audience
The last episode of the eighth season caused a sharp division among viewers, especially after the killing of Daenerys Targaryen by Jon Snow, then him voluntarily exiling himself to the north of the Wall, alongside the crowning of Bran Stark as king, and Arya Stark's departure from the kingdoms of Westeros, events which many found disappointing.
Solidarity
Harington was not alone in facing these demands, as several "Game of Thrones" stars rushed to reject the idea of reproducing the last season. Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark, described the petition as "disrespectful," confirming in a talk with the New York Times in 2019 that belittling the work team's effort was unfair.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who played Jaime Lannister, considered the petition "annoying," emphatically stating in statements to The Independent that ending a successful series after seven seasons was a highly complex task.
He added: "People are free to have their opinions, but in the end, this is a television series, someone has told you a story, and you might not like how it ends... How can an ending that satisfies everyone be made? That’s nearly impossible!"
