“It’s upsetting and disturbing, but it’s not shocking,” said Harington. “I think most actors hear stories, and people in the industry hear stories. It’s just very hard for people to come out and talk about it. But the doors have been blown open a bit, and we can only be thankful for that.”

Harington is making the media rounds in support of Gunpowder, the HBO historical thriller that he’s executive producing. The three-part miniseries tells the story of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, the failed scheme by Roman Catholic militants to blow up the House of Lords in London and assassinate the Protestant King James I and many others in the process. The foiling of the plot has evolved into an annual celebration known as Guy Fawkes Night, named after the conspirator who was captured the night before the event with the explosives.