British star Kit Harington says it's tough to play a hero on screen today and that's why he has consciously sought to play "anti-hero-ish" roles post-"Game of Thrones".

The actor rose to international prominence with his portrayal of the upright warrior Jon Snow, one of the pivotal characters in "Game of Thrones", the HBO epic fantasy show that concluded in 2019 after eight seasons.

Ever since he wrapped "Game of Thrones", Harington said he seems to have lost interest in playing the classic hero.

“That is seemingly what I’ve been hunting a bit. If I look at the roles I’ve taken since playing an out-and-out hero in ‘Game of Thrones,’ I have to admit there seems to be some sort of pushback about playing a hero. I’m not so interested in heroic roles, and if I am, they have to be pretty anti-hero-ish...” he told Entertainment Weekly.

The actor got his wish in Rod Blackhurst's "Blood for Dust", a neo-Western crime thriller set in snowy Montana. In his latest film, Harington plays Ricky, a sociopathic drug-slinging arms dealer sporting a handlebar mustache and gold chain.

"He's sort of a devil-on-the-shoulder character, the antagonist who's with you all the way through. He's like a good-time guy in a bad world. He doesn't want to have to face reality," he said of the role.

People who successfully play classically heroic roles are "very talented actors", added Harington.

“My heart goes out to people playing heroes. They’re f****** hard to play and to make interesting. It is more fascinating as an actor, I think, to empathise with someone deeply faulted and wrong, to try and find your way into why they are doing these things.

“(Playing) a guy who is doing all the right things and is driven by being good, it’s harder to do that... But at the moment, I just find it more interesting looking for the f*****-up people,” he said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.