He had made no secret that he was “terrified” of stripping naked every night in his acclaimed West End show Slave Play.
And such was Kit Harington’s fear that images of him in his birthday suit would ever be seen outside the auditorium that theatergoers had to place specially proportioned stickers over their mobile phone cameras to prevent any filming.
But despite the security measures (and threats of legal action for violating them), frontal images and videos of the Game of Thrones actor in action have been published on Internet forums.
The production, which ended its 12-week run last month, saw Harington, 37, taking part in a ten-minute sex scene with Olivia Washington, 33, daughter of Hollywood legend Denzel.
Actor Kit Harington with Olivia Washington in Slave Play at the Noël Coward Theater
One of the images of him naked on stage that have been uploaded to the internet
In a clip posted on a Spanish-language adult website, it appears that Harington is being filmed from the front row of the theater as he removes his pants and exposes his genitals.
On the same website you can find a graphic scene in which the actor roughly ties his co-star with a rope while naked, before simulating a sexual relationship with her.
The stage included a wall of mirrors, which provided a clear view of the action on stage from all corners of the auditorium, but apparently assisted those taking photographs surreptitiously.
On a site that specializes in photographs of naked male celebrities, there are several still images of the actor walking across the stage with his penis on display.
When Slave Play premiered in July, it proved to be the hottest ticket in town, with celebrities including Madonna, Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy seen in the auditorium for the two-hour production.
He also sparked controversy after holding nights only for black audience members.
Kit Harington and Rose Leslie photographed in New York in September 2021
For Harington, the leaked images will be a setback after he previously spoke about his fear of stripping on stage. He said: ‘I thought it was going to be liberating; It has been proven that it is not at all.
‘Every night I am terrified. Nightly.
Last week, Harington made his debut in the third series of BBC’s raunchy drama Industry.