The actor in Kit Harington may be uncomfortable with his sex symbol status but he would have better luck effecting change as Jon Snow than in trying to sway the opinions of his gargantuan fan base.
Besides, given his distracting smile coupled with that tousled mane and sexy beard, how can anyone be blamed for turning slightly stalkerish over him on social media.
And while Game of Thrones fans anxiously await the eighth instalment - there’s another year to go - they can swoon over the 31-year-old actor in Gunpowder.
Aside from playing Robert Catesby he, along with Ronan Bennett and Daniel West, developed the story. He is also on the executive producer credits.
For the three-part series, they delved into Britain’s history.
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He explained: “The story follows such a fascinating, dark and twisted piece of British history which is very close to being forgotten in the fog of time. You may know the name Guy Fawkes - as it has been attached to all sorts of things, from Occupying Wall Street to V For Vendetta - but many won’t know the whole story. It goes far beyond the name Fawkes and examines many fascinating characters and their desperate, tragedy-strewn lives.
Gunpowder is all about choices, and the reasons desperate men make such choices, and it makes for really great drama.”
He continued, “Guy Fawkes was the tip of the iceberg. Many people know he was working with plotters, but they don’t know much more about who they were or what their motives were. And so little is known about the lead-up to the night of November 5, or what happened after it.
“In Gunpowder, we show the whole story. In so many dramas on TV today you see anonymous bad guys without a narrative, but what we’re trying to do is to tell the story from the plotters’ perspective as well, to try to understand what pushes people to do horribly violent things. We wanted to tell a story from both sides.”
Harington could not sing the praises of Bennett enough.
“Ronan was the perfect person to write this. Daniel West - who I developed the series with - and I knew that we wanted to do something about the Gunpowder plot (the failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland), but we didn’t know where to begin,” he said.
“Ollie Madden (one of the executive producers and he also worked on Spooks) at Kudos and then Ronan, the master creator and writer that he is, came in and crafted the whole narrative so beautifully and with such delicacy.
I think what is particularly exciting is that Ronan decided to use the vernacular of the time and he did it with accuracy. He has a PhD in English 17th Century history so he has a very deep knowledge and sense of what this piece is about. I’m in such admiration of the man - he has penned an amazing story.”
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“I have really enjoyed creating this world. I think our production designer, Grant Montgomery, is a really talented man. He built all the sets, including the streets of 17th Century London.”Harington added: “I am thrilled with the cast and the fact that they wanted to join this project with me. I’m working with actors across the board who I have admired for a long time. Peter Mullan is someone I have grown up watching and the sheer presence of what he brings on screen is brilliant.
“Liv Tyler is another actor whose work I know well. Mark Gatiss is known for bringing incredible characters to life. When I saw his audition tape I fully realised the artistry of the man - he created the character of Robert Cecil beautifully and with pinpoint accuracy. We also have some actors of my own generation who are really interesting young men. Tom Cullen, for example, was in my year at drama school and is a brilliant actor.
“We also have Edward Holcroft, who I loved the work of in London Spy.”
As for his highlight from this series, he said: “I have really loved watching Derek Riddell play King James. I knew he was a brilliant actor beforehand but I found it fascinating to be around the camera while he worked on this piece, watching him bring King James I to life in such a nuanced way. I also found the opening with Shaun Dooley (Sir William Wade) on the Baddesley Clinton set very exciting.
It’s a crash, bang, wallop of an opening and it sets the scene for a programme that will not just be a slow burn of a typical period or costume drama. We wanted the strange, old-fashioned vernacular to clash against viewers’ usual expectations of a slow, boring period piece, as they quickly find themselves in a very real, visceral, and violent world.”
* Gunpowder airs on BBC First (DStv 119) on Sunday February 4 at 9pm.