Getty Actors Richard Dormer, Maisie Williams, Kerry Ingram, Gemma Whelan, Pilou Asbæk, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Joe Dempsie, Conleth Hill, Hannah Murray, Ben Crompton, John Bradley, producer Chris Newman, executive producer Bernadette Caulfield, actors Kit Harington, Carice van Houten, Liam Cunningham, Jerome Flynn, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jacob Anderson and Sophie Turner attend the "Game of Thrones" Season 8 screening.
The Game of Thrones finale airs tonight on HBO. Ahead of the finale episode, many of the show’s stars have taken to social media to reflect on their experiences with the series and thank the fans for their support and dedication throughout GOT’s 8 seasons.
Emilia Clarke, who has played Daenerys Targaryen since the pilot episode, shared a series of photos in costume as her character and with the cast. In the caption, she first reflected on what it meant to her to play Dany, writing “The mother of dragons chapter has taken up the whole of my adult life. This woman has taken up the whole of my heart. I’ve sweated in the blaze of dragon fire, shed many tears at those who left our family early, and wrung my brain dry trying to do Khaleesi and the masterful words, actions (and names) I was given, justice.” She thanked the fans for their devotion and acceptance of her as Daenerys, and on how she wished her father, who passed away in 2016, “was here now to see how far we’ve flown.”
John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarly (last seen saying goodbye to Jon in Winterfell in season 8 episode 4), posted a selfie with a call sheet from his first day working on GOT in 2010. In the caption, he explained “Listed here is the rehearsal where I first met Kit, and the first time I wore the costume that’s seen me through 8 seasons. I’m glad I kept this. I met so many people that week who have come to mean so much to me. Back then we couldn’t have known the journey we’d go on together. I wouldn’t swap that experience, or those people, for the world.” He concluded by thanking the fans “for everything,” and hoping they enjoy the last episode.
Sophie Turner (known by fans as Sansa Stark) was only 13 years old when she started filming the series; she is now 23 years old and newly married to Joe Jonas. On Instagram, she addressed the character she spent 10 years portraying directly, writing “Sansa, Thank you for teaching me resilience, bravery and what true strength really is. Thank you teaching me to be kind and patient and to lead with love. I grew up with you. I fell in love with you at 13 and now 10 years on.. at 23 I leave you behind, but I will never leave behind what you’ve taught me.”
Jacob Anderson, whose first episode as Greyworm was in season 3, shared side-by-side photos of his first and last days on set. He thanked his castmates and the crew, and, on behalf of Greyworm himself, thanked the fans: “Thank you to everybody that cared about him and rooted for him. He was really scared at first, but you made him feel loved. He appreciates it. I asked him.”
Throughout the season, as characters died on-screen, the actors who played them began the trend of writing “And now my watch has ended,” a reference to the Night’s Watch and their vows on the show, to signify that their time with the show has finally come to a close.