Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams says that Jon Snow is dead, casting doubt on apparent interviews that seem to suggest otherwise.
At last night’s Emmy Awards, Williams addressed what seems to be the most irresistibly pressing question regarding Game of Thrones: Is her fictional half-brother Jon Snow alive?
“The answer is, he’s dead. Sorry,” Williams tells TV Line. “And the interview you’ve all read that thinks that Kit [Harington] spoiled it is fabricated,” she adds, with a roll of her eyes. “It was totally false.”
Williams is referring to a recent interview with Harington (who plays – or played? – the apparently-deceased Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch) in the Belgian magazine Humo. Harington reportedly demurred on the question of how many more seasons he will appear on Game of Thrones – but offered another clue instead.
“Let’s just say that Game of Thrones will remain a part of my life for a while,” Harington allegedly said. “I’ll probably be in my thirties when it’s over.”
Harington was not in attendance at last night’s Emmy Awards, so no clarification could be obtained from the shaggy-haired actor. Williams’ assertion, therefore, only adds to the miasma of mystery and contradictions around Jon Snow’s fate.
Harington himself has previously gone on record as saying that Jon Snow is a goner, citing his farewell conversation with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
“I’m dead,” the actor said in June. “I’m not coming back next season.”
That sentiment was echoed by HBO President Michael Lombardo, who asserted that “Dead is dead is dead. Everything I’ve seen heard and read… yes [he’s dead].”
But the realities of filming the wildly popular series recently seemed to have betrayed the network’s party line. Harington arrived in Belfast (where much of Game of Thrones is filmed) in late July – still sporting his iconic mop of hair.
At this point, it seems almost impossible to speculate on the truth of Jon Snow’s fate. Maisie Williams could certainly have been covering for Harington’s Belgian slip-up, though her statement is a bold one if that is the case. The possibility also remains that Harington was in Belfast to shoot scenes as Jon Snow’s corpse – either fully dead, or Other-wise reanimated – and that the character himself will not return in Game of Thrones season 6.
In any case it doesn’t seem like interest in Jon Snow’s fate will subside any time soon. Before the HBO fantasy series took home a record 12 Emmy Awards last night, host Andy Samberg referenced the mystery after a commercial break.
“Thanks for telling me that Jon Snow is alive,” Samberg said to author George R.R. Martin – to which showrunner David Benioff good-naturedly shook his head.