The 'Game of Thrones' actor reveals his mother, playwright Deborah Jane Catesby, encouraged gender fluidity and often gave him dolls to play with when he was a child.
- September 23, 2020
AceShowbiz - Kit Harington was brought up in a "gender fluid" environment by his playwright mother Deborah Jane Catesby.
The 33-year-old actor opened up about his childhood during an interview with Britain's The Telegraph newspaper, and admitted the lack of gender stereotypes was evident from the get-go.
"I asked for a Mighty Max and she bought me a Polly Pocket," the "Game of Thrones" star recalled. "I asked for an Action Man and I got a doll - it was very gender fluid from the word go. And I went with it."
While Kit first found fame in the theatre world, it was his role as Jon Snow in the fantasy TV series that made him a household name worldwide. But when it comes to future roles, the screen star is keen to steer clear of taking on a similar gig again.
"I feel that emotionally men have a problem, a blockage, and that blockage has come from the Second World War, passed down from grandfather to father to son," he said. "We do not speak about how we feel because it shows weakness, because it is not masculine. Having portrayed a man who was silent, who was heroic, I feel going forward that is a role I don't want to play any more."
"It is not a masculine role that the world needs to see much more of."
Back in 2018, Harington called out Marvel over lack of LGBTQ+ representation. "There's a big problem with masculinity and homosexuality that they can't somehow go hand in hand," he explained. "That we can't have someone in a Marvel movie who's gay in real life and plays some super hero. I mean, when is that going to happen?"
The actor has since been cast in Marvel's upcoming superhero movie "The Eternals". He is expected to play Dane Whitman, a human warrior who wields a mystical sword. Other cast members include Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek.
