Harington says on-set reunion with Turner felt 'weird'

Actor says shifting from siblings to lovers in 'The Dreadful' was uncomfortable

Kit Harington reunited with Sophie Turner for a new film years after the hit series 'Game of Thrones' ended, admitting that it was "weird" to play Sophie's love interest in 'The Dreadful' after portraying siblings in the HBO fantasy hit.

Speaking to fellow former co-star Peter Dinklage for Variety's 'Actors on Actors', Harington said filming romantic scenes with Sophie in their new horror film felt downright "gross" after years of playing siblings. "It was weird," the 39-year-old actor confessed.

In 'Game of Thrones', Kit and Sophie played two of the central Stark siblings, both pivotal to the series' main political and emotional arcs. Kit portrayed Jon Snow, introduced as the illegitimate son of Ned Stark who grows up at Winterfell but later joins the Night's Watch.

Sophie played Sansa Stark, the eldest Stark daughter. Her character begins as a naive and idealistic young girl but gradually evolves into a politically astute and resilient leader. Both characters are part of the Stark family, one of the core houses in the series.

Sophie, who served as a producer on 'The Dreadful', initially did not realise how many explicit scenes the script contained when she first asked Harington to join the cast. "She sent me the script and I said, 'There's a lot of us getting it on,'" Kit said. "She hadn't seen that. She just said, 'Yeah, Kit would be good for this part'."

The situation felt especially strange because the actors essentially grew up together while filming 'Game of Thrones'. Kit explained that he has "known [Sophie] since she was a child" and views her as "a younger sister".

Despite his hesitation, Harington ultimately signed on. "We did it. It was gross but it was fine," he said. "She's an amazing actor. I know we all know that, but she was a child when she started on 'Game of Thrones'. She is phenomenal."

Sophie Turner previously admitted she had a similar reaction after revisiting the script. Speaking on 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' last year, she recalled suddenly noticing all the romantic scenes and thinking, "Oh shoot, that's my brother." Still, both actors agreed the project was too good to pass up, even if it made for some very uncomfortable filming days.

Based on the Japanese historical horror film 'Onibaba' (1964), 'The Dreadful' follows Anne, played by Sophie, and her mother-in-law Morwen, who live a solitary, harsh life on the outskirts of society. When a man from their past, Jago, played by Kit, returns, it becomes a turning point for Anne.

According to industry tracking data, the film received a limited release in February 2026 and also went straight to video-on-demand and home entertainment.