Now that the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones has come to an end, Emilia Clarke took a moment to say goodbye to the show and her incredibly memorable role as Daenerys Targaryen. Sharing her heartfelt farewell with her social media followers, the actress is certainly not alone in having bittersweet emotions over the show's impending conclusion.
Since the HBO series diverged from the unfinished A Song of Ice and Fire book series a while back, Game of Thrones' showrunners have been winging it while crafting their vision for the series finale. While some fans have been too busy dodging potential spoilers about the finale, many others have taken to social media to express their intense distaste for the direction the show's story has been heading this past season, and over a million people have signed a petition demanding that the show's ending be rewritten ahead of it even airing. Regardless of what end of the spectrum of perspectives these viewers fall under, they all clearly feel about as strongly as Clarke does about having carried the role of a lifetime to its inevitable close.
In an Instagram post today, Clarke shared her feelings about Game of Thrones finally coming to an end with her followers, receiving over 4 million likes at the time of writing in a show of love from fans that have watched her career skyrocket since the show's premiere eight years ago. Writing that she feels "overwhelmed" over trying to put into words how much Game of Thrones has meant to her, Clarke stated:
"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."
Most touchingly, Clarke remarked that she wish her late father, who passed away from cancer in 2016, was still with her to "see how far [she's] flown." Of course, she also extended gratitude to her "dear, kind magical fans" for their continued support of the show. Saying, "Without you there is no us," Clarke thanked fans of the TV series and its literary source material for their warm reception to her portrayal of Daenerys over the years, "a character that was already in the hearts of many before [she] slipped on the platinum wig of dreams." Her farewell ends with, "And now our watch has ended," an emotional and fitting close to her post of which fans can only hope the Game of Thrones finale can capture the spirit.
After her descent into the fabled Targaryen madness and transformation into the Mad Queen, many have speculated that the possible events of the finale won't bode well for Daenerys. Regardless of how the long-awaited wrap-up to one of the decade's most influential shows pans out for Clarke's character, her consistently stellar performance in some of Game of Thrones' most iconic moments will remain unforgettable.
Source: Emilia Clarke