Kit Harington Says ‘Game of Thrones’ Has Been ‘a Big Thing to Detach from’ After 8 Years

The Game of Thrones actor talked about life since the HBO drama ended on E!’s 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards pre-show

Kit Harington admits leaving Game of Thrones behind wasn’t an easy transition.

The actor, who played lead character Jon Snow, hung up his cape earlier this year when the hit HBO series ended after eight seasons, and, after nearly a decade, he had to shift from Westeros to the real world.

“It was this total period of my life, which has been a big thing to detach from,” Harington, 33, said during E!’s Golden Globes red carpet pre-show on Sunday. “It’s taken a little while.”
Harington’s portrayal of the fan-favorite character — who killed his lover/aunt/queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) in the finale — earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the best actor in a television series — drama category, but he wished the rest of his cast could join him at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

“I haven’t got my gang,” Harington, who was joined Sunday by his wife and Game of Thrones costar Rose Leslie, said (Harington is the only Thrones nominee). “It’s odd. It is odd. I haven’t been to these things without the rest of us around so I’m a little jealous of the Succession dudes.”
The British star admitted he’s been able to appreciate his Game of Thrones experience a bit more now that the show has wrapped. “It was always just getting into costume, first day getting into that outfit and sort of being back on set, being back with him as a character,” Harington said of his memories of Jon Snow. “It’s in retrospect you start loving it. You worry about it a lot of the time.”
Shortly before the Game of Thrones series finale airing, Harington entered treatment to “work on some personal issues,” his rep confirmed to PEOPLE. “Kit has decided to utilize this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues,” the rep said in a statement at the time.

Next up for Harington, he’ll jump from one iconic franchise to another when he joins Marvel’s The Eternals, which is slated to hit theaters in November.

The 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony is airing live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 5.