Oftentimes, Harry Potter can be as soothing as a long hot soak in the Prefects’ private bathtub.
Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington discovered just that when he turned to Potter audiobooks for comfort after getting sober. As a native Brit, he is, of course, partial to Stephen Fry’s narration over the work done by Jim Dale for American listeners.
To each their own.
Like the subjective aromas given off by the powerful love potion known as Amortentia, a Potterhead’s audiobook preference is almost like a Rorschach test of who they are.
How The Harry Potter Audiobooks Helped Kit Harington Embrace Sobriety
“My brain is incredibly busy, especially at night,” Harington shared during a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz. “I’ve always found going to bed very difficult. My brain doesn’t turn off. When I got sober, that got especially bad. And so, I started listening to Harry Potter audiobooks, and now they’re the thing I listen to every night. They help me and have a very special place in my heart.”
The Jon Snow actor experienced a full circle moment when Audible cast him as inept Hogwarts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart in its full-cast productions of the seven books. “We talk about what [people] are addicted to,” Harington said, “he’s addicted to himself.”
That’s kind of an understatement for one of the most vainglorious characters ever to crop up in popular fiction. But it’s good to know he can affect positive change in the world beyond taking credit for other people’s achievements.
Harington is set to bring Lockhart into the world of live-action for season two of HBO’s Harry Potter TV series, which will adapt Chamber of Secrets. X-Men veteran Nicholas Hoult was initially cast in the role before bowing out over scheduling conflicts.
J.K. Rowling‘s original novels “have a very special place in my heart,” Harington said. “And when I knew they were doing this show, [I said], ‘I think that’s a brilliant idea. I think they can really delve into it further than the films did. I’m fully supportive of it.’ Then I got call to be in it and that was just a very simple, ‘Yes, please!'”
While he can’t share much about the small-screen project, simply calling it “highly secretive,” Harington did assure Horowitz, “I’m engaging with that as we speak.”
Still, it’s kind of hard to spoil a book that’s almost 30 years old and part of a franchise that is so entrenched in the zeitgeist.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres exclusively on HBO Friday, Dec. 25.
