Game of Thrones star Kit Harington says he regrets having to keep hair long for HBO drama

The actor is contractually obliged to keep his long locks

Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington (Getty)

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has said he regrets entering a contract that obliges him to keep his hair long for the duration of the hit HBO show, saying he "screwed himself over".

The actor, who plays Jon Snow in the fantasy series, told Metro the agreement had been, with hindsight, a bit of a mistake.

"How the f**k did they do that? I screwed myself over there," he said.

Harington made the admission in response to Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer calling him an "idiot", because her and other female cast members had opted instead to wear wigs.

He added: "I don’t want the bother of it all really. If you look a certain way or you have a certain look it dominates what people think you are. So I’ll cut it off quite soon. As soon as I’m allowed."

Harington, who played the lead in this year’s Pompeii, is next set to appear in Testament of Youth, a First World War drama scheduled for release in January. The film is based on Vera Brittain’s memoir.

Meanwhile Game of Thrones, based on George RR Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels, has been renewed for two further seasons – five and six – in April.

And there are rumours that a seventh series could also be in the pipeline.

In which case, it looks like Harington could be donning that haircut for quite a while – unless, like countless characters before him, he’s killed off.