Kit Harington reveals why Marvel's 'Eternals' was the right film for him after previously turning down another superhero movie role

• Kit Harington previously turned down a role in a superhero film before joining Marvel's "Eternals."
• Harington told Insider he felt like the previous role was "just thrown" at him while on "GOT."

Kit Harington is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in November's "Eternals," but it's not the first time he considered joining a superhero franchise.

In September, Harington told Total Film he turned down a role in an unnamed superhero movie while filming "Game of Thrones." In "Eternals," Harington doesn't play a super-powered being, but ordinary-human Dane Whitman (comic fans may hone in on that name). Dane works at the Natural History Museum in London and just so happens to be dating one of the Eternals, Sersi (Gemma Chan).

When asked what it was about this role that he found attractive and what made him feel now is the time to join a superhero franchise, Harington told Insider it was a number of things.

Harington revealed that he turned down the earlier role in a superhero film, which he didn't name, because "it was sort of just thrown at me without much conversation."

"As nice as it is to have parts thrown at you that are offers, I didn't really feel that it was much collaboration," he added.

The process was quite different with "Eternals." Harington told Insider that producer Nate Moore called him up to discuss the role. "He talked through this character with me and my part in this film, particularly," Harington said of how Whitman was pitched to him. After speaking to Moore, Harington met with director Chloé Zhao.

"I didn't audition or otherwise for anyone else in this movie," Harington said. "I didn't audition for Dane. They just came to me with Dane and said, 'Is this something you'd be interested in?'"

What also encouraged him to take the role was the fact that he's "no longer part of another franchise." Harington starred on "Game of Thrones" as Jon Snow for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019. Snow became a main focal point of the HBO series in later seasons, something which the actor told Variety made him feel "very vulnerable" after his character's fate famously became a cliffhanger at the end of season five.

In "Eternals," Harington isn't front and center in the MCU (yet, anyway). Being a few years out from "Game of Thrones" affords Harington the ability to fully dive into and focus on Whitman, a role he's excited to tackle head on.

"There's a space where this can live in my life and in my head," Harington told Insider.

"Not just in this movie, as small as that role is. There's a lightness to him, which I really liked," Harington said of what drew him to the Marvel character. "There's a comedic element that was different from other stuff that I get offered, and the future looked quite interesting. So yeah, for all those reasons, this felt like the right one."

Harington wants to work with his former 'Game of Thrones' costar, Richard Madden, more

Harington was added quite late to "Eternals." By the time he was cast, he already knew his former "Game of Thrones" cast mate and real-life pal Richard Madden would be in the film, too.

"That was a kind of exciting thing. I saw that his name's attached to this in a much bigger role than I'm in. He's essentially one of the leads in this movie," Harington said of Madden, who plays an Eternal named Ikaris in the film.

"I knew this wasn't my movie. This is Richard's movie, if it's anyone's out of the two of us. So I'm coming in as his guest, in a strange sort of way," he continued.

In "Eternals," Harington and Madden share the screen for a short amount of time. (The two are caught up in a love triangle of sorts.) Harington said it was "lovely" to act alongside his former "Game of Thrones" costar again.

"But, it wasn't like we were doing a full movie together and it wasn't like that previous with us either," Harington told Insider. "We had our own stories then and, in this, we definitely have our own stories. It does feel like a continuation."

"At some point, hopefully me and Richard will get a movie in which we actually spend some time together. But, in this, it felt true to form for us," he added.

"Eternals," also starring Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, and more will be in theaters on November 5. You can read our review here.