After playing Jon Snow in the cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones, Kit Harington is making a move toward smaller projects, and more ethically grey characters. Now, the actor will be taking on a “gnarly” character in the indie action-thriller Blood for Dust, and he’s very excited about it.
In Rod Blackhurst’s thriller, Harington will play the villain, Ricky, a violent illegal weapons dealer. The film will follow Ricky and his former friend Cliff (Scoot McNairy) who reconnect when Cliff needs some quick cash. After a deal goes bad, Ricky ends up dragging Cliff into a new, dangerous world. We aren’t used to seeing the GOT actor take on such antagonistic characters, however, that’s what excites him about the part. Harington discussed why he took the role with THR, saying:
I’m playing a pretty gnarly dude. It’s not necessarily a part that I would generally get offered, and that’s quite interesting to me.
The actor explained that because of all the time he spent on GOT he’s found himself gravitating toward more independent films. He said that being a dad now, plus being on a well-known show, he enjoys taking on projects that are about “interesting, odd characters” that only shoot for a “couple of months, here and there.” Harington also said he was drawn to the project because it was outside his comfort zone, he elaborated on this idea, saying:
At the moment, and for the last couple of years, I’m trying to — and that’s another reason why I wanted to play this role — take roles that I’m a bit scared about doing. It’s fun playing a baddie, I think. I spent a long time playing the epitome of a good, honest human, trying to do the right thing that everyone’s rooting for. And maybe this is a reaction to the length of time I was doing that.
One reason he was drawn to the role was the way the villain and hero get paired together in the film. He said they are not chasing each other and they are not separated during the film. The actor referred to his character as the protagonist’s “demon in a way.”
This project sounds super interesting, and I can’t wait to see Harington in a darker and different role from what we’re used to seeing him in. While he is taking more of a turn into making indie films, he is still involved with a few massive franchises. So, we’ll get to see the actor in roles we know and love him in, as well as these exciting smaller ones.
As for his bigger projects, I think it’s safe to say Harington will eventually reprise his role as Black Knight at some point in Marvel’s upcoming movies, especially after his exciting post-credits scene in Eternals. The sword-wielding doesn’t stop there though, as the actor is also set to reprise Jon Snow, which is easily the role he’s best known for, in a new Game of Thrones spin-off series, that George R.R. Martin has referred to as SNOW.
It’s super exciting that Harington is taking on so many different roles, from returning to massive franchises, to taking on smaller and scarier characters that are out of his comfort zone. Blood for Dust is currently in pre-production, and while we wait for it you can check out Harington’s other projects on the 2022 movie schedule, or re-watch his phenomenal performance in Game of Thrones with an HBO Max subscription.