Seven Years After Game of Thrones Peter Dinklage Gives Kit Harington’s Jon Snow a Hilarious New Nickname
Peter Dinklage just dubbed Jon Snow with a cheeky new title — and fans may never hear the old one the same way again.
Peter Dinklage just boiled Jon Snow down to two nicknames that are so dead-on it almost feels unfair. But it is also perfect. During a reunion chat with Kit Harington for Variety's Actors on Actors, seven years after they left Westeros behind, Dinklage gave the character the gentlest roast imaginable and somehow summed up a decade of brooding in one breath.
"Tyrion is a bit more fun than Mr. Killjoy. Mr. Do the Right Thing."
That is exactly the Jon Snow experience. Harington's Stark-adjacent hero went from Winterfell's overlooked outsider to King in the North to the guy who tried to save literally everyone, all while picking duty every single time it ruined his day. Heartbreak, betrayal, impossible choices — he did the honorable thing through all of it, which is a big part of why he became the emotional center of Game of Thrones, even when the show around him was busy setting itself on fire.
The reunion, the roast, and a very Jon Snow origin story
The conversation slipped straight into old-friends mode, which prompted Harington to rewind to his first day on the Thrones set. His debut scene was opposite Dinklage — great for the show, terrifying if you are the new guy. Harington admitted he was basically pretending to know what he was doing while secretly studying Dinklage like a hawk.
Here is the charmingly nerdy craft detail: early on, Harington thought screen acting meant staying absolutely still. Meanwhile, Dinklage was moving, animated, alive. Young Kit figured, huh, that seems like a lot. Then he realized, no, that is called knowing what you are doing. It tracks. Dinklage gets the zingers; Jon gets the homework and the long watch.
Why Jon Snow still sticks with people
- He was never the loudest or the flashiest. In a world where backstabbing is basically a sport, he chose honor even when it cost him power, safety, or, you know, breathing.
- Being the outsider at Winterfell baked in that quiet, steady vibe. The Night's Watch hardened it. His stoicism did not read as wooden; it read as resilience.
- He did not chase power. He earned loyalty by fighting next to people, not above them. That is how you get from ignored to King in the North without acting like you want the job.
- The receipts are on screen: the chants crowning him in the hall, and lines like "You are not guilty of your father's crimes and I am not beholden to my ancestors' vows" spelling out his code, plain and simple.
So yes, Dinklage calling him Mr. Do the Right Thing and Mr. Killjoy is very funny — and also kind of a love letter to why Jon landed the way he did. Even if Harington himself has been less than thrilled about how that final chapter wrapped up, the character's mix of humility, sacrifice, and maddeningly consistent morality still hits.
What do you make of Dinklage's nicknames for Jon Snow — affectionate bullseye or too harsh on the broodiest man in the North?