GoT Star Says Unaired Pilot 'Made a Lot of Mistakes'

"It didn’t look right, didn’t feel right, had nothing different about it."

By Alex Gilyadov

Jon Snow himself Kit Harington has some shed light on why Game of Thrones' unaired pilot had to be entirely re-shot.

In an interview with The Guardian Harington said the pilot, which featured several different actors in some of the main roles, had to be scrapped because it did not quite nail the tone and feel of George R. R. Martin's fantasy novels.

"They made a lot of mistakes. It didn’t look right, didn’t feel right, had nothing different about it," Harington said. According to the actor, Jon Snow was clean-shaven at first, and Harington had to wear a wig.

After the pilot received negative reactions, showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff started from scratch, recasting many actors, including replacing Tamzin Merchant with Emilia Clarke for the role of Daenerys Targaryen. Harington also grew out an actual beard and long hair the second time around to give Jon Snow a grittier look.

Harington has never seen the unaired pilot, but said Benioff and Weiss sometimes jokingly threaten to release it online. "They say, if I ever piss them off too much, they’ll release it on YouTube," Harington said. "Every now and then, they send me a screengrab, just as a threat."

For more on Game of Thrones, check out the lineup of talented directors who will helm the final season of the show, as well as the release dates for the Game of Thrones season 7 Blu-ray and DVD. While you're at it, find out what Davos Seaworth actor Liam Cunningham recently had to say about when production begins for Season 8.

Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter.

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