Kit Harington Shares Fatherhood Lessons While Discussing His New Movie, Baby Ruby

Kit Harington‘s life imitates his art. In an interview with the actor, 35, to PEOPLE and Weekly entertainmentthe photo and video studio of au 2022 Toronto International Film Festivalhe talked about fatherhood and how it influenced his work in his new film, Baby Ruby.

“I think there was a real catharsis in there,” said the game of thrones said alum. “My baby boy was about 4 or 5 months old when we filmed this, so I was just coming out of the process that these two [characters] find themselves in early parenthood, so I was literally exploring that in this film. That was a big reason to want to do it.”

Harington said that for modern dads, despite being more involved than previous generations, there is still a disconnect.

“We are getting more and more involved in the raising of children and as a modern father sometimes there is a real feeling of being a spectator,” said the modern love says the actor. “You are not actively involved in the child’s growth process and there can be a real sense of not knowing what is going on, what emotions are going on, what the mother or your partner is going through.”

He said he “definitely” felt that in his experience of being a new father.

“There was something in Bess [Wohl, the film’s director’s] work to which I responded which was that feeling of being told that you will instantly love your child, you will instantly love this baby. I knew I was going to take care of the baby I had, but I don’t know if it was instant love.”

He went on to explain the process as it unfolded for him. “It was a stranger planted in my house, now I had to deal with the stranger, and the stranger kept me up all night,” he joked. “It takes time to grow love, to get to know someone.”

He said it took him a few weeks to get to know his child and found the process – and how it linked to his work in the film – “beautiful”.

“My boy is 19 months now so he wobbles just naming things, he walks around saying ‘curtain’ or ‘carpet’, he just likes to impress you with his knowledge,” he shared. “It’s the most amazing thing, it really is.”

Watch the full interview here:

Leslie, 35 years old, confirmed their pregnancy in September 2020 after debuting her baby bump for the UK Create a Magazine and talked about how the couple had been spending quality time together at their Tudor mansion in East Anglia amid the pandemic. PEOPLE then confirmed in February last year that Harington and his wife had welcomed their first baby.

Talk with To access last July, Harington donated rare glimpse into his life as a new dadsharing what surprised him most about fatherhood.

“I think the thing that surprised me the most is that they tell you, but they don’t; everyone goes, ‘Look, this is big. What you are about to go through is big. And you have no way of knowing until it happens,” he said. “So what surprises you is you’re like, ‘Oh, this goes on forever! ‘ You have no respite. You’re just like… every day I wake up and take care of this little human, and now we’re part of a unit together.

“You three are a unit now,” added Harington of his family. “It’s a whole new dynamic that you have to find, and pretty much every day as it grows and changes, and how does that change you? It’s a beautiful thing, it’s really the case.”

In November last yearHarington chatted with E ! Daily news pop about whether he’ll eventually let his son watch the show – and how he plans to discuss the show with his little one.

He said he would most likely tell his son, “Look, I mean, you can just be grateful that it happened because otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“Then that will be all,” Harington said, cracking a smile. “I’m going to say, ‘You don’t like watching it? Well, bad luck.