Before being lovers in Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington were off-screen friends, which made their intimate scenes a little weird.

Ever since its beginning in 2011, Game of Thrones stars Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington immediately hit it off. The pair first met on set and quickly developed a brother-sister-like relationship. Despite playing intense and often heavy roles, their friendship was full of lighthearted moments. In fact, the actress who portrayed Daenerys Targaryen even often referred to the 37-year-old as her best friend, and their close connection only deepened as the show progressed.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in a still from Game of Thrones | Credits: HBO

However, during the seventh season of the adapted show, Clarke and Harington’s characters began an on-screen romance. Although the intimate scenes may have been a little awkward for the besties at first, the actress revealed that the Jon Snow actor found a way to make it worse.

Emilia Clarke shed light on her intimate scenes with Kit Harington

In HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke was beloved for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen. While the character had quite an interesting story and was even the mother of dragons, her story took a turn when she had to portray an on-screen romance with her best friend and co-star, Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow.

The duo’s chemistry was a significant focal point in the series’ later seasons, particularly when the complex relationship between Jon and Daenerys became central to the unfolding drama. However, in a conversation with News.com.au, the 37-year-old opened up about how the actor handled these intimate scenes.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in Game of Thrones | Credits: HBO

That was lovely when Kit would pretend to be sick every time he had to look at me. We giggled a lot, especially the first time we started shooting together because, as Kit says, the three (Rose Leslie) of us hung out together a lot.

Although it might have been a little awkward for Harington’s wife, it looks like the co-stars managed to find the humor in the situation. In fact, Clarke even added, “We’re good friends.” Even the actor chimed in on the subject and stated, “It’s not hard to have to kiss her. But I did like pretending it was.” His jokes may not have been a confidence booster for the actress. However, they seem to have found a way to pull each other’s legs.

In fact, Harrington went on to shed more light on the topic and even gave fans insights into why the intimate scene with Clarke wound up getting such a reaction from him.

Kit Harrington on his intimate Game of Thrones scenes with Emilia Clarke

After working with someone for 7 years, it is hard to flip a switch and suddenly find yourself lost in love. That’s exactly what happened with Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke. The two stars had both starred in HBO’s Game of Thrones for years. However, it wasn’t until the 7th season that a romantic relationship started brewing on screen. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor opened how awkward and hilarious the whole thing was.

Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones | Credits: HBO

If you’ve known someone for six years, and they’re best friends with your girlfriend, and you’re best friends with them, there is something unnatural and strange about doing a love scene.

Although it might have been difficult for Harington and Clarke to keep a straight face while shooting their love scenes, the stars had to look past the awkwardness and really sell the scene. While the duo definitely managed to do that, the 37-year-old stated, “We’ll end up kissing and then we’re just p***ing ourselves with laughter because it’s so ridiculous.”

The switch to on-screen love interest took some time for the stars and fans to get used to. Stream all 8 seasons of Game of Thrones on Hulu.