A 'Game of Thrones' engagement

Despite its violence, the notoriously successful television series "Game of Thrones" has also led to some true-life romance: On Wednesday, actors Kit Harington and Rose Leslie announced their engagement in the Times.

The couple met in 2012 while shooting the HBO series. In the fantasy saga, Harington plays commander Jon Snow; Leslie took the role of his lover Ygritte up until her character's death in the fourth season.

The two 30-year-old actors first announced their romance in April 2016 when they appeared arm-in-arm at an awards ceremony. "If you find someone already attractive and then play a couple in the show, it's very easy to fall in love," said Harington in the Italian Vogue.

Read more: Game of Thrones street name irks Australian suburb

Pressured by Nicole Kidman?

It is unclear whether anyone famous may have influenced the engagement. On the "Late Late Show with James Corden," last June, Harington sat next to Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman when he talked about moving in with Rose Leslie. "Will you get married?" Kidman asked. Harington appeared stunned by the question and responded vaguely, "Step by step."

 

The penultimate season of the medieval fantasy series based on George R. R. Martin's novels, in which several family tribes fight for the iron throne of the continent of Westeros, has just begun in the US and Germany.

The seventh season broke viewing records in the US. Shooting for the final season will start in fall; it is scheduled for release in 2018 or 2019.

ct/eg (with dpa)