Kit Harington once revealed that he’d contemplated quitting acting altogether after Game of Thrones ended, but it clearly wasn’t an option that remained on the table for very long when he admitted he was told there was a role for him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe a year before he was cast in Eternals.
While the 26th installment in the franchise has hardly been drowning in critical acclaim, the performances of the ensemble have been widely praised across the board. Harington’s Dane Whitman goes on to become Black Knight in the comic books, but Eternals needs to get a sequel green lit before we can even consider that a possibility.
In a new interview with Variety, the star compared the two massive properties to which he’s lent his talents, and he was full of praise for both.
“Nothing really, majorly surprises me after going through those eight seasons of Thrones. It was as big as anything gets by the end, as far as scale goes. But moving into Marvel, it is a different beast, in more subtle ways than you’d imagine. What I like about the differences for me about these two things is I get to have lightness of touch in this, which I think is really important.
It’s what I really loved about the Marvel movies; those little moments of kind of lightness, comedy, in amongst everything. And I saw a few opportunities for that with this character. Having played a majorly central part of a different show who was not comedic or light in any way whatsoever, not being the center of attention in this show and playing something that’s a little lighter was kind of fun.”
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones may have proven polarizing, as has Eternals, but it’s done wonders for Harington’s career and standing in the industry. He’s been part of a TV show and a film franchise that boast millions of fans all over the world, so things have worked out very well for the 34 year-old after he decided to continue his onscreen career.