Kit Harington Discusses Directorial Debut ‘Psychopomp’

British actor Kit Harington spent years on the set of some of the biggest films and TV shows of the last decade, from his breakthrough role as Jon Snow in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” to Sir Henry Muck in BBC’s “Industry” and his introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dane Whitman in Chloe Zhao’s “Eternals.” Now, the seasoned actor is moving behind the cameras, with his directorial debut, “Psychopomp,” playing in competition at the Raindance Film Festival.

The short film, inspired by works such as Michael Mann’s “Heat” and Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges,” follows desperate man Harry (Harry Melling) and hired assassin Liam (Ciarán Owens) as they take a car trip toward a life-changing decision. Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s screening at Raindance, Harington says his decision to step into directing was “growing as a kind of annoyance for a while.”

“I’d be on set as an actor and thinking about how I would shoot a scene, what notes I would give to an actor,” he goes on. “You can’t suggest a shot to a director or give a note to another actor on set, and [that] was a growing need I was feeling that told me that I had to make my own thing to see if that instinct was the right one to follow.” 

The right moment “to take the reins on the creative front” came when Harington started to think about a story about men, which came from a place of wanting to talk about “male depression, male friendship [and] male vulnerability.” “There is only so much dinner table chat you can personally handle before you need to explore it in a different way as a creative,” he adds.

As for casting Melling and Owens, Harington attributes it to his time working in the industry and the connections he has made in the almost two decades since he started his career as an actor. “You build friendships and ‘stick’ for want of a better word when reaching out to wonderful actors such as Harry and Ciarán.”

“Ciarán was first to be cast, as I’ve known what a fantastic, intelligent actor he is for a while,” he adds. “He’s got this combination of hard and soft that I thought was perfect for the role of Liam.” Harington then reached out to Melling, who he says has an “everyman quality whilst being completely unique at the same time.” “He was perfect for the role. I was so lucky to have them both.”

Another key connection turned collaboration in “Psychopomp” is cinematographer Fabian Wagner, who worked on “Game of Thrones” as well as other major projects such as “Justice League” and “Masters of the Universe.” Harington says the two had been friends since working together on the HBO series, and he always saw Wagner as “somewhat of a superhero DOP.” 

“He lights incredibly but also in an amazingly fast way,” he adds. “He also understands performance and story in a way that I think is quite rare. I wanted exactly that.” The director also says he wanted the film to have a “very grainy feel” and a “Michael Mann realism to it” but to also feature key pops of color, such as the golden Range Rover the two men travel in and a pivotal pink tutu. 

The actor-turned-director recalls his first day shooting at the service station as being “really special.” “I slightly freaked out as they played the scene and they were perfect,” he adds, saying he realized then he didn’t have any notes to give the two actors. “It was a real joy to actually just watch actors do what they do from a completely different angle and admire them. Sounds odd but It was the first time I really realized what an amazing craft it is. It took seeing it from the outside in.”

Asked about how he feels about “Psychopomp” playing at Raindance, Harington says he is “thrilled.” “I’ve been to the festival as an actor before and loved it,” he goes on. “It’s my home town and that’s very special too.”

Traveling with the film, he says, has been “interesting.” “It’s been more relaxing than when I’m an actor. Maybe it’s because I’m in control of it. I feel less exposed. I love that people are coming to see it, I love audiences for taking the time to do that and also I feel I care less about the reaction. I’m just happy people are watching it when they are.”