Actor Kit Harington is not especially known for his comedy chops, but he showed serious promise in a recent Late Night with Seth Meyers sketch and he’ll have an excellent showcase for them in the upcoming comedy 7 Days in Hell. The Game of Thrones actor stars opposite Andy Samberg in the HBO mockumentary, which is essentially a 30 for 30 episode about a fake tennis match that lasted seven days. Samberg plays a bad-boy tennis star in the vein of John McEnroe, while Harington plays his prodigy opponent who’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
The picture premiered at SXSW this past spring to positive reviews, but some may be surprised to hear that the movie is only 43 minutes long. There’s a good reason for its brevity: they shot the whole movie in three days.
Steve recently caught up with Harington at the press day for Testament of Youth, and the actor spoke about 7 Days in Hell, revealing the tight shooting schedule:
“We shot it in three days in Palm Springs. We shot it in less time than it’s set over… We just shot the shit out of everything. We just got everything we could. And it was farcical and stupid and I really want people to see it.”
Harington also spoke about his fondness for farcical comedy as opposed to more traditional comedy, which you can see in the video above. In addition to Harington and Samberg, the cast for 7 Days in Hell also includes Michael Sheen, Will Forte, Lena Dunham, Mary Steenburgen, Karen Gillan, and Fred Armisen. The film was directed by Jake Szymanski.
Needless to say, this thing is going to be essential viewing when it premieres on HBO on July 11th. Look for Steve’s full interview with Harington on Collider soon.
