Kit Harington believes actors should stay off social media

Kit Harington has warned actors in hit shows to stay off social media after struggling with the pressure of starring in Game of Thrones.

The 35-year-old was in his early 20s when the success of the HBO fantasy series propelled him to worldwide fame as brooding nobleman Jon Snow - but reading online comments about the show "screwed" with him and destroyed his confidence.

Speaking on the official Game of Thrones podcast, he revealed: "I'd go on the internet, and I'd look at stuff and I'd look at reviews and I'd look at the comments section, that box of doom.

"And it screwed with me. It really screwed with me, it really damaged my confidence for a long time. And I had to learn not to look at that stuff."

The Brit, who battled issues with alcoholism and depression while filming the later seasons, went on to outline how his experience should act as a warning to other actors who suddenly find themselves as the focus of intense discussion online.

"I think each to your own and some people probably find a lot of brilliant stuff in social media, but I think for an actor in a show like this, it's the most dangerous thing," he explained. "So I had to not do that. I'm not on social media, I had to step away from that stuff."

Harington noted that starring in the show was "amazing" but it felt strange having such a big hit straight out of drama school.

"I think that what it's meant is that you look for that thing your whole career as an actor," he said. "That one thing that just goes big or that you're known for. And if you have it in your 20s you're left going, 's**t, what now? What do I do now?'"

Harington is married to Rose Leslie, who played his character's love interest Ygritte in the fantasy series, which ran from 2011 to 2019.