--- description: The Game of Thrones actor can thank a fight at McDonald's — and the black eye he picked up — for his successful audition for the major role. title: How Kit Harington Snagged the Role of Jon Snow on Game of Thrones image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here’s How Kit Harington Snagged the Role of Jon Snow on _Game of Thrones_  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:11 AM CUTPublished: Jun 28, 2016 10:15 PM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:11 AM CUTPublished: Jun 28, 2016 10:15 PM CUT It’s now impossible to think of anyone but long-haired, stoic [Kit Harington](http://time.com/4356316/kit-harington-beard/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") as Jon Snow, the newly anointed King in the North on [_Game of Thrones_](http://time.com/4383171/game-of-thrones-season-six-review/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined"). But back when he was auditioning for the role, just one of many aspiring actors, there was one advantage that he says might have set him apart. In an interview with [_W Magazine_](http://www.wmagazine.com/culture/film-and-tv/2016/06/kit-harrington-jon-snow-game-of-thrones-season-6/ "undefined"), Harington admits that he looked a bit unusual at his audition — because he came in with a black eye after getting in a fight at a McDonald’s. “I went into the McDonald’s with this girl I was sort of dating at the time,” he explains. It was busy, so they shared a table with another couple. “He started being really rude to the girl I was with, calling her names… Then he called her something like ‘ugly pig’ or something worse,” Harington says. He couldn’t let that stand — chivalry is not dead, even outside of Westeros! — so he “called him up for a fight, which I’d never done before,” Harington says. But the man outmatched him physically, so Harington had to throw the first punch. “And I got battered,” Harington said. When he went in for the Jon Snow audition, then, you can bet he looked like he could take a hit. “So I think that man who punched me in the face may have helped me get the job, so if you’re watching, thank you,” Harington added. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4386352/game-of-thrones-kit-harington/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4386352/game-of-thrones-kit-harington/"},"headline":"Here’s How Kit Harington Snagged the Role of Jon Snow on Game of Thrones","datePublished":"2016-06-28T22:15:20.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T07:11:16.000Z","description":"Harington doesn't shy away from a fight in real life, either.","url":"https://time.com/4386352/game-of-thrones-kit-harington/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4386352/game-of-thrones-kit-harington/","name":"Here’s How Kit Harington Snagged the Role of Jon Snow on Game of Thrones"}}]}] ```