[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for The Beast Within.]

The Big Picture

The film ‘The Beast Within’ follows 10-year-old Willow, as she questions her family’s secrets in an isolated English compound.
Kit Harington discusses his intentional career choices post-‘Game of Thrones’ and the challenges of playing Noah.
Harington reflects on what he’s looking for in projects, joining Season 3 of ‘Industry,’ and the stalled Jon Snow sequel series.

From director Alexander J. Farrell, the horror flick The Beast Within follows 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall), as she discovers a terrifying family secret. Living an isolated life on a fortified compound in the secluded English forest is challenging enough for a child, but when you throw in an otherworldly transformation by the full moon, Willow begins to question everything she thought she knew about her father, Noah (Kit Harington), and wonders what this could mean for her own future.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Harington shared what he’s tried to avoid in his career since finishing Game of Thrones, what he loved about The Beast Within and the metaphor present in the story, why Noah was such a challenging character to take on, his experience onstage with Slave Play, which he’s currently doing in the West End until September 21st, joining the third season of the HBO series Industry, which of those three projects made him the most nervous to start, how he seems to keep ending up nude in everything, reuniting with Sophie Turner for The Dreadful, and why the Jon Snow sequel series ultimately didn’t work out.

The Beast Within (2024) The Beast Within follows 10-year-old Willow, who begins to question her family’s isolated life on a fortified compound in the English wilds. After following her parents on a secret trek into the forest, she discovers her father’s horrifying transformation, uncovering a dark family secret.Director Alexander Farrell Writers Alexander Farrell

Kit Harington Explains Why ‘The Beast Within’ Is the Best Kind of Horror Film

Collider: When this came your way, did they just send you a script that you read without anybody telling you anything about it? Did they tell you anything to prepare you before reading it, or did you discover the story as you read the script?

KIT HARINGTON: I read the script, and it was very clear to me, the metaphor within it. This movie doesn’t hide it. It’s pretty straight up about what it’s trying to say and how it’s trying to say it. In fact, that was my main question when I got into it. How do we balance that, so that it’s not too on the nose and too in your face? So, I read it cold, and I really liked the idea of flipping the werewolf genre, so that it’s through the eyes of a young girl who’s going through that strange period of entering into puberty, where maybe some of the things that she believes in and the scales are falling from her eyes, as she becomes a young woman. That intrigued me, the idea of parents not being the guardians we think they are and everything not being as we were told it was. Those are the best kinds of horror films.

Related Kit Harington Shows Off the Real ‘Beast Within’ in New Horror Film The ‘Game of Thrones’ star hasn’t given up on wolves yet.

When you read a script for the first time, was there a scene or more than one scene that stuck out for you that you were curious about actually getting to shoot?

HARINGTON: With this, the first question I asked was, “Do I have to be the werewolf?” And the director, Al [Farrell] was like, “No, you don’t.” I was like, “Okay, that’s good. I don’t have to be a werewolf.” Number two, I loved the scene in the woods and some of the dialogue in that, with this threatening play that he engages in with her, that has all this threat hanging over it, and yet it’s the way they bond. It was that bit, and this lurking presence of being a background force in this movie, that I quite liked.

After ‘Game of Thrones,’ Kit Harington Is Not Looking To Play the Hero
Image via HBO

After finishing any long-term project, like you did with Game of Thrones, actors often worry about getting stuck on a similar-feeling path. But if you look at just the recent group of projects you’ve done, with this film, Season 3 of Industry, and Slave Play, that’s clearly not the case for you. Is that something you’ve been very intentional about, or do you just feel lucky that you’ve been able to do such a variety of roles and projects?

HARINGTON: It’s definitely intentional. I’ve never been good at carving out what kind of career I want. I’m terrible at that. When people say, “What are you looking to do next? What’s your plan?” I don’t really have one. I just know what I don’t want to do next. When you spend that many years in a heroic role, the natural pushback, creatively, is gonna be not wanting to do those kinds of parts. That’s always tricky as an actor because the industry only thinks of you as that thing, so you have some work to do to shift the dial a bit the other way and show your range. What I’ve been trying to do, in some ways, is just look for the deeply flawed characters. Jon Snow had his flaws, but they were all flaws rooted in goodness and truth. I don’t really fancy playing that kind of goodie right now.

Related Kit Harington Says He’s Done Playing Heroes The ‘Game of Thrones’ actor takes an unheroic turn in the modern western, ‘Blood for Dust’.

Whatever you think a project will be going into it, it’s never quite what you imagine it will be. What has been the best or most unexpected thing about doing Slave Play? When you’re on stage like that, does it feel different every night since the audience is always different, or do you get into a rhythm?

HARINGTON: It’s a very unexpected piece of theatre. It’s a very provocative piece of theatre. The thing I’ve found with it is that the audience decides, at different points, what this thing is. It changes. Is it a comedy? Should it be taken very seriously? Should we all sit there in silence and consider these things? Should we laugh at the jokes? The audience is always the 12th player on the pitch. They’re always part of the show, and you don’t feel it more so than with this play. More than that, I’m just enjoying being on stage. It completely freshens you, as an actor. It completely loosens you up. And I’m an incredibly tense person, so it’s nice to be doing something that’s getting me out of my own head a bit.

Were you more nervous walking on stage for your first performance of Slave Play, on your first day of The Beast Within, or on your first day joining the third season of a show like Industry?

HARINGTON: That’s a good question. It’s between Slave Play and Industry. With The Beast Within, I felt comfortable. Me and the director had a lot of conversations leading up to it and we’d become friends, so I felt comfortable in that, even though it’s not a very comfortable role. With Industry, I felt really nervous because you’re walking into an already established show, which is doing well and it works, and you’re the new kid on the block and you can only mess it up. There’s always a nervousness when you’ve auditioned for something. The director has seen you do the thing, and they’re like, “Okay, I know this guy can do it.” With Industry, I’d had a meeting with (creators) Mickey [Down] and Konrad [Kay]. The first day, I was like, “If I open my mouth, and they don’t like what I’m doing, then this is not gonna be fun.” And then, a play is just terrifying. And I get naked at the end of the play, so it’s doubly terrifying. So, probably this play.

How do you approach a character? Do you start at the same place for each character? Do you like to find their physicality first, or do you like to personalize them in some specific way?

HARINGTON: I don’t have some set process. I think it is somewhat based in physicality. I’m from a drama school background, where we did a lot of that work. There might be a piece of clothing or something that helps. Usually, it’s the shoes. There’s always one thing with every character that I get drawn into. For example, I’m prepping a movie right now where I’m really interested in how he speaks because it’s set in the distant past. I’m interested in the idea that people sounded completely alien then, so that’s taken hold of me. But it’s different for different things. It’s not one set pattern for me. When I read the script, if I’m interested in the role, it’s usually the first thing that I focus in on, which is the key into who the character is, and then it’s based around that.

Related Kit Harington & Sophie Turner Will Reunite in New Gothic Horror Film Jon & Sansa are making another movie together.

What is the movie that you’re prepping now?

HARINGTON: Hopefully, it will go later this year. It’s a movie called The Dreadful. It’s a brilliant dark, gothic, strange film by a director called Natasha Kermani, and it’s with Sophie Turner. I’m hoping that goes this year. Independent films are always a bit touch and go, and it’s already been delayed a bit. But it’s a really special one, so I hope that it makes it.

When it’s something like that, where you end up reuniting with a co-star like that, was that intentional? Were you trying to find a project to do together? Was it just a coincidence that you both ended up being cast?

HARINGTON: This one, Sophie sent to me. She was like, “Would you like to do this? I really think you’d be right for it.” And I read it very quickly, which is always a good sign. I always find, if you’re trying to get to the end quickly because you wanna send the email saying, “Yes,” that’s a good sign.

Kit Harington’s ‘The Beast Within’ Character Was Tough for Him To Empathize With
Image via Well Go USA Entertainment

How did you view Noah? While you were playing this guy, did you think of him as the beast that we sometimes see, or did you think of him as this monster that’s laying under all of that?

HARINGTON: It was a tough character to take on. Where do we empathize and sympathize with him, as an abusive man who’s clearly been beating up his wife and who emotionally manipulates his daughter? Where do I base my empathy with him?” It’s tough playing characters like that because he is racked by so many awful demons and is doing so many awful things. It’s rooted in addiction. That’s not an excuse or a reason to be doing the things that he does. It’s this self-hatred that he’s wrapped up in. He doesn’t like himself. He hates himself. He eats himself up and he drinks. That gave me an in to think about him.

So much of the success of this film really relies on the young girl that’s in it, playing Noah’s daughter, Willow, and Caoilinn Springall is just so remarkable to watch. What were your biggest fears about that and what was your favorite moment with her?

HARINGTON: To be honest, it is always a real worry. Having children myself now, as well, you’re like, “How do we protect that young girl actor from the realities of what the film is about?” We were very conscious of that. Al, the director, was very good on set with that. She has a wonderful mum who is very grounded, and they’re a great tight knit family. And Ashleigh [Cummings] actually became like a second mother figure to her on set. We tried to keep it light and keep it fun. We didn’t avoid it, if she asked what the film was about, but we didn’t let the darker elements of it get too close to her. We just tried to keep a fun mood on set that wasn’t what she was feeling in the film. That was the best way we could deal with it. It was good that she had this very tight family and good mother.

How was it for you to put the collar with the chains around your neck? Obviously, you’re shooting a movie, but is it still a bizarre experience to have a moment like that because that’s not something you would ever find yourself doing normally?

HARINGTON: Yeah, it’s a bit weird. I seem to be getting nude in everything at the moment. I’m nude in the play, I’m nude in Industry, I’m nude in this film. It’s just a lot. But they all had their reasons. Filming can get very strange when you’ve got a big, fake metal collar around your neck, naked in some abandoned church with a whole group of people looking at you while they’re eating their lunch. It’s just odd. I liked what they say to each other. They repeat to each other, “Nothing changes, nothing changes.” I thought that was another reason I wanted to do it. It’s such a powerful thing they say to each other when they’re in that place.

Kit Harington Isn’t Surprised That a ‘Game of Thrones’ Sequel Hasn’t Happened
Image via HBO

Since the Jon Snow spin-off ultimately didn’t happen, are you surprised that only prequels seem to have worked out in that world, or do you feel like you might have had more luck in figuring out a story if there was source material behind it?

HARINGTON: No. I think a prequel is a natural thing to do. They did it with Better Call Saul, and with House of the Dragon. You run into a lot of issues with a sequel. A lot of the cast are done with it by then. So, who are you bringing back? Are you bringing back the same people? So, no, I’m not surprised that a prequel is something that is easier to do. It’s not easier to do, but a more natural place to go. With ours, it was just about not finding the right story and not finding something that was worth doing, to bring me back to it and to stay in it. It just made less sense, the longer we went on with it, so we recanted.

Related The 10 Best Jon Snow Quotes from ‘Game of Thrones,’ Ranked Jon Snow’s journey in ‘Game of Thrones’ is reflected in his unforgettable quotes.

It’s also amazing to have the freedom to say, “This isn’t working, so we’re not going to do this,” instead of feeling like you’re forced into doing something, even if it’s not something you want to do and it doesn’t feel right.

HARINGTON: Yeah, that was always my thing going into it. I was like, “I don’t wanna do this unless it’s the most astounding idea and unless it makes total sense.” You can only do that sometimes by developing something and thinking it through. It only annoyed me, the fact that it all just got out. I wanted it to stay silent, so that if it didn’t work, we could just pretend nothing had happened. But these things leak, and there’s now questions around it. But actually, it never really made it that far. There might be a time in the future, when some years pass, where there is a story that comes up and it feels right. I don’t know. But nothing is being thought through at the moment.

The Beast Within is now playing in theaters. Check out the trailer:

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