A Game Of Thrones Star Pranked John Bradley With An Absurd Costume

In its heyday, "Game of Thrones," based on the books by George R.R. Martin, was one of the biggest series on TV. That doesn't mean there was no room for silliness on set, though. Amid long, punishing shoots, an abundance of violence, and all the complexities of navigating a vast fantasy world, it's no surprise the cast and crew of "Game of Thrones" felt compelled to find outlets for levity wherever they could. We previously shared how the "Game of Thrones" showrunners pranked Kit Harington with a fake script, which saw his character, Jon Snow, being brutally burned. Had it been part of the show, this story point would have required Harington to undergo a hefty makeup job every day for the rest of the series' eight-season run. Harington wasn't just the target of on-set hijinks, though. He also masterminded a prank on his co-star, John Bradley.

John Bradley appeared on "Game of Thrones" as Samwell Tarly, or Sam, a member of the Night's Watch, who was initiated into their ranks alongside Harington's Jon Snow. The Night's Watch were charged with defending the Wall, the border between the Kingdom of the North and the land of the wildlings. It was a harsh and unforgiving job, and one that Sam, who came from a comfortable noble's life, was not obviously cut out for. However, in season 5, Sam started studying to become the new Maester of the Watch, the Night Watch's leading scholar. This saw him traveling away from the Wall, creating the opportunity for Harington's prank on Bradley.

In an interview with Esquire, Harington revealed how he and co-star Hannah Murray, who played Samwell's love interest Gilly, saw an opportunity for comedy in Sam's relocation. As Sam was leaving the Wall at the end of season 5, John Bradley would be swapping out his Night's Watch garb for a new costume. Harington revealed that he and Murray made a special request of the costume department:

"And so we said to the costume people, 'Can you just mock up the most ridiculous outfit you can possibly come up with that could still be feasible? Like it can't be too wild, because you won't believe it—but just about feasible.' And they came up with this, which was just so perfect."

The costume in question was a flamboyant patchwork affair with a prominent codpiece. A photo from Bradley's costume fitting (which we sadly don't have access to) shows the actor looking less than impressed. Harington commented "The amount of effort and time that's gone into that, just for a joke, is brilliant. But if you look at John's face in that, he's so upset and angry and he's totally bought it."

Harington admitted to worrying he had "genuinely upset" Bradley, who eventually said of the costume, "I was never going to tell anybody about that." Harington was evidently still pleased with his work, commenting "But it's his facial expression in this. He looks so upset. It's just — it just gives me so much joy."