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Kit Harington says he had a 'gender neutral' upbringing: 'I asked for an Action Man and got a doll' - Attitude Skip to main content
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Home Culture Culture Film & TV

Kit Harington says he had a ‘gender neutral’ upbringing: ‘I asked for an Action Man and got a doll’

The 'Game of Thrones' star says he played with "Polly Pocket" as a kid.

By Jamie Tabberer

Kit Harington has said he was given a “gender neutral” upbringing by his mother.

The star – known for playing the brooding Jon Snow in iconic HBO series Game of Thrones – added that his mum adopted a gender neutral to parenting “from the word go.”

She sounds pretty cool.

Gender neutral or fluid parenting is when children are not encouaged to follow sterotypical gender cues. For instance, not being made to wear clothes or play with toys typically considered as ‘for boys’ or ‘for girls’. 

Kit Harington is known for playing Jon Snow on Game of Thrones (Picture: HBO)

Speaking to The Telegraph, Kit said: “I asked for a Mighty Max and she [Kit’s mum, Deborah Jane Catesby] bought me a Polly Pocket. I asked for an Action Man and I got a doll – it was very gender fluid from the word go.

“And I went with it.”

The Testament of Youth star also discussed his views on masculinity in the interview, saying: “I feel that emotionally men have a problem, a blockage, and that blockage has come from the Second World War, passed down from grandfather to father to son.

“We do not speak about how we feel because it shows weakness, because it is not masculine. Having portrayed a man who was silent, who was heroic, I feel going forward that is a role I don’t want to play any more.

“It is not a masculine role that the world needs to see much more of.”