Kit Harington, the dragon trapper

LOS ANGELES - Sitting amid a panel of seasoned actors like Gerald Butler and Djimon Hounsou, up-and-coming English actor Kit Harington projects himself like a media pro.

They were at the recent Beverly Hills press tour for the new animated flick How To Train Your Dragon 2, where he lends his voice to new antagonist Eret.

In the sequel, which is showing here, Eret is a dragon trapper who sells his prey to villain Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou).

The 27-year-old heart-throb of the hit fantasy TV series Game Of Thrones and recent disaster flick Pompeii is certainly ascending the Hollywood ladder, becoming a fan favourite with his portrayal of the show's upright hero Jon Snow.

But thanks to his charming good looks, he is also topping lists as a rising It guy.

Harington might be a sex symbol to everyone else, but he says he doesn't think of himself as one. He also gives M the scoop on his acting career.

What have been your professional highs and lows so far?

Lows… had no lows (laughs). No, of course I've had lows, but as far as I'm concerned, they're more like projects that didn't happen and movies I didn't like. But, as... an actor, I've been incredibly lucky. I've worked hard and came out of drama school and went to do a big play called Horse, and then went right into another play. That led to Season One of Game Of Thrones, then a movie, then back to Game Of Thrones for Season Two, then a movie. I've been very busy.

How has Game Of Thrones changed your life?

I can do Game Of Thrones because it allows me the means to do smaller independent movies that I want around it.

I've got Game Of Thrones, which continues to be a success at the moment, and that keeps my profile high. That means I can go and experiment with acting. By the time it's over, I'll be financially stable and be able to go do a lot of theatre.

A lot of actors scrape by with theatre, but I'll be okay to do it for a while.

How did you end up getting the part of Eret?

They approached me because (How To Train Your Dragon 2 director) Dean De-Blois is a big Game Of Thrones fan and because they like my work in that. They needed a character that was big and burly and slightly stupid and they wanted someone whose voice they liked, to bring some energy into the part. They approached me and asked if I would be interested and since I saw the first film and loved it, I thought why not?

Why do you think the How To Train Your Dragon film series is so popular?

Like any other successful animated film, it's not just a kid's film; it deals with some serious adult issues and the really interesting one is the estranged parents for me. There are so many kids who deal with that at the moment; having parents split up and a single father bring up a son and then the estranged mum comes back to meet the son. I think it's great for kids to see and it's something they can relate to. I think the other reason it's so successful is that kids love fantasy.

You obviously have sex appeal, which also translates to the Jon Snow character. Why do you think that is?

I think it's one of those things where I do my job and I play a character, then for whatever reason, a lot of people respond to that. I think that kind of lonely, chaste male can be appealing as a character, but I don't ever think of myself as sexy.

So what's sexy to you?

You have to have humour and you have to be funny. Nothing else is sexier. You can have the most adorable, beautiful woman on earth, but if she can't make me laugh, then she's not sexy.

tnp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 18, 2014.
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