‘Game of Thrones’: How The Cast Said Goodbye After Series Finale

It is not just the fans who have to say goodbye to Game of Thrones, but the cast, who bid the show farewell on Sunday after the series finale.

Warning! Spoilers for the Game of Thrones series finale lie ahead!

HBO made TV history this Sunday with the end of Game of Thrones, a show that many expect to be the last massive TV event of its kind. The series took over the world as a pop culture sensation, and along the way its cast became A-list stars.

The actors have taken every opportunity to say that they are a family as well. The cast is incredibly close, and the show means the world to each of them. Many of the actors got their first professional work on this series, so saying goodbye to it is a challenge.

On Sunday, social media filled with posts from fans, many of whom have lived with these stories since the first novel came out in 1996. Adding to the emotional din was the actors themselves, who have inhabited these roles for a decade. Some shared fond memories from set, while others wrote heartfelt tributes to their characters. In any case, they said goodbye to the work that has consumed them for eight seasons.

Here is a look at how each main cast member said goodbye to Game of Thrones this weekend.

Emilia Clarke – Daenerys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke posted a collection of four photos on Sunday encapsulating her experience as Daenerys Targaryen. They included a group shot from on set and another from an after party, a selfie of her in costume and another shot of her iconic blond braids from the back.

“Finding the words to write this post has left me overwhelmed with how much I want to say,” she wrote, “but how small words feel in comparison to what this show and Dany have meant to me.”

“The mother of dragons chapter has taken up the whole of my adult life,” she went on. “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.”

“Game of Thrones has shaped me as a woman, as an actor and as a human being. I just wish my darling dad was here now to see how far we’ve flown.”

“But to you, dear kind magical fans, I owe you so much thanks, for your steady gaze at what we’ve made and what I’ve done with a character that was already in the hearts of many before I slipped on the platinum wig of dreams. Without you there is no us.”

“And now our watch has ended,” she concluded.

Maisie Williams – Arya Stark

Maisie Williams has said goodbye to the series and to Arya Stark a few times already, including an Instagram post when filming wrapped, which many fans thought confirmed her character’s ending. On Sunday, she kept uncharacteristically quiet on social media, but on Monday morning she returned.

“I’m just here for the memes,” she tweeted. Fans did not let her down, flooding Williams’ feed with jokes about the series finale.

Sophie Turner – Sansa Stark

Much like Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner shared a couple of group shots to commemorate her time on the show. One showed a huge group on set, and another showed herself, Williams and Kit Harington in the crypts of Winterfell, standing beside the statues of themselves. In her post, Turner addressed Sansa, thanking her for the lessons she learend over the years.

“Sansa, Thank you for teaching me resilience, bravery and what true strength really is,” she wrote. “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.”

“To the show and the incredible people who make it, thank you for giving me the best life and drama lessons I could have ever asked for,” she went on. “Without you I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Thank you for giving me this chance all those years ago. And finally to the fans. Thank you for falling in love with these characters and supporting this show right through till the end.”

“I’ll miss this more than anything,” she finished.

Isaac Hempstead Wright – Bran Stark

Isaac Hempstead Wright outdid all of his co-stars’ social media posts, writing a full-on guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. The article came out on Monday, detailing Wright’s time on the show and his thoughts about the ending.

“It would be hard to overstate just how important a part of my life Game of Thrones has been. Practically every key life event I have ever experienced is in some way connected to my time on Thrones,” he wrote.

Wright recounted how he became a child actor and how he landed his role on Game of Thrones. He also admitted that there were struggles associated with growing up on the world stage, and the sadness of leaving that level of attention behind.

“The phenomenon of Thrones is not something I am ever likely to experience again in my life,” he wrote. “The level of hysteria and speculation around it is unprecedented. When we shot those final scenes of the Starks on the bay in King’s Landing, we were told not to leave our hotel room in Croatia for fear of giving something away. When we got into the cars to go to set, we were smothered in blankets to obscure our faces and costumes.”

As for the ending, Wright said that he was not sure how to feel about it himself, but that he thought the fate of the kingdom was intentionally uncertain.

“Life doesn’t have neat, happy endings; it is ambiguous and ultimately inconsequential,” he wrote. “To end Game of Thrones with uncertainty is perhaps the most honest way to end a story so vast and complex — and that uncertainty is what we all feel as we begin our life after Thrones.”

Jacob Anderson – Grey Worm

Jacob Anderson shared two photos to commemorate his time on Game of Thrones — a picture from his first day on set and a picture from his last.

“GoT was like the craziest school trip ever. A 6 year Adventure Weekend,” he wrote. “Grey Worm. You went from a robot to a real boy. I’m proud of you. I’ll miss you bud.”

“Thank you to everybody that cared about him and rooted for him,” Anderson went on. “He was really scared at first, but you made him feel loved. He appreciates it. I asked him. Huge shout out to the Targs team: Nats, Emilia, Conleth, Peter, Iain, Ian, Michiel, Reece, Ed, Kit, Liam. Thank you for making the days so fun.”

“Here’s to every single department behind the scenes that worked to the bone to make this show,” he added. “They worked tirelessly everyday to make this thing, and they never get shout outs and they know that but they do it anyway. Here’s to you, you ragtag bunch of talented clever rascals. I love ya’ll. Thank you.”

John Bradley – Samwell Tarly

John Bradley marked the finale with a photo of his “rehearsal and prep schedule” from the very first season in 2010. The paper had his appointments highlighted, and his name at the top. He had signed the bottom as well, and the packet was creased from repeated rifling through.

“So tonight we have our very last episode,” Bradley wrote. “It’s the final step of a long and wonderful journey. A journey that, for me, started at 10am on Monday 19th of July 2010. I know this because recently I found my rehearsal and prep schedule for season 1, week 1.”

“This was given to me when I landed in Belfast for the first time, weeks before we even started shooting,” he continued. “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. Enjoy the episode and thanks for everything,” Bradley finished.

Kristofer Hivju – Tormund Giantsbane

The wildling raider turned savior of mankind, Tormund Giantsbane, is a fan favorite and a bit of a comedic relief. True to his character, actor Kristofer Hivju kept things light with his Instagram post on Sunday. He shared a selfie with his wife, Gry Molvær Hivju, and his co-star, Gwendoline Christie, who played Tormund’s crush, Brienne of Tarth.

“Onscreen and offscreen love! Definitely a win win situation,” Hivju wrote with a smiling emoticon. “Homage to Gwendoline Christie for her brilliant performance as the warrior, the knight and the beautiful human being Brienne Of Tarth.”

The Show

Finally, HBO posted a thanks “to the cast, crew and fans around the world.”

“We bend the knee to you,” it read.

Next weekend, HBO will air a feature-length documentary on the making of Season 8 titled Game of Thrones: The Last Watch in the place of the series. It airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. The next novel in the series is expected soon, although no release date has been announced yet.