Game of Thrones stars join Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn for opening night of True West

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Robert Dex @RobDexES5 December 2018

Kit Harington enjoyed a Game of Thrones reunion as the fantasy show’s stars came out to support him on the West End stage.

The actor, who plays Jon Snow in the blockbuster TV series, was watched by co-stars including Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie and Jerome Flynn at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Flynn’s real-life brother Johnny plays Harington’s on-stage brother in Sam Shepard’s True West, and Harington said their relationship was key to the show’s portrayal of sibling rivalry.

He said: “You really want to get on with the guy playing the other brother because it could be a nightmare if you didn’t. If you got somebody who was competitive or was difficult or had some sort of chip on their shoulder then you might be in real trouble with this play because you have to do a run where you are essentially at times ­bullying each other.”

Johnny Flynn, who said his brother had recommended he work with the “gorgeous” Harington when he was offered the part, said the play was a partnership. He said: “We’re nothing without the other one”.

Harington said he liked the “relentless” nature of True West, where the brothers confront each other ­through­out the show and trade blows. He said: “You’re on stage the whole time, there’s no let-up, and I like that, it keeps you on your toes.”

Harington plays a struggling screenwriter who fears he will lose out to his criminal sibling.

He said the play’s take on Hollywood reminded him of the “huge culture shock” from his own early days trying to make it.

He said: “I went out to LA very, very young, like at 21, and ­literally I was kind of lights in the eyes. I didn’t know where I was going and you can get buried and the essence of who you are can get shaped and misshaped.”

The parts in True West have been played by stars including John Malkovich, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C Reilly. Flynn said he watched clips of previous ­productions online, but Harington said he refused to do so in case he was left “a wreck” by comparing himself to other actors.

Harington played Doctor Faustus in the West End in 2016. Other Game of Thrones stars to appear on stage include his on-screen sister Maisie Williams, who made her debut at Hampstead Theatre recently, and Iwan Rheon, who plays the psychotic Ramsay Bolton: he was in Foxfinder in the West End.

Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn in True West - in pictures

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