The Game Of Thrones cast have been getting seriously emotional about the show’s conclusion.
The actors have shared a number of heartfelt posts paying tribute to their co-stars, the crew and the fanbase ahead of the finale, which aired in the US on Sunday night.
Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, said the fantasy series had “shaped me as a woman, as an actor and as a human being”.
Sharing a series of photos of herself and the cast, she said on Instagram: “Finding the words to write this post has left me overwhelmed with how much I want to say 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. 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.”
Emilia told her 23 million followers on the site: “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.”
She thanked fans for their support of the show, which is based on the books by George RR Martin and started in 2011.
“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,” she said.
“Without you there is no us.
“And now our watch has ended,” she added.
Sophie Turner also shared a post on Instagram, in which she thanked her character Sansa for teaching her “resilience, bravery and what true strength really is”.
She continued: “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. 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.”
Jacob Anderson (aka Raleigh Ritchie), who plays Grey Worm, compared working on the show to being like “the craziest school trip ever” as he shouted out his fellow cast members.
Posting a photo of his first day on set followed by one of his last, he wrote: “GoT was like the craziest school trip ever. A 6 year Adventure Weekend.
“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. He was really scared at first, but you made him feel loved. He appreciates it. I asked him.”
He continued: “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. 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,” he added.
Ahead of the finale airing in the US, Gwendoline Christie shared a picture of her on set with Kit Harington with the caption: “Being told the ending to Game Of Thrones.”
The cast’s tributes to the show came after over 1 million fans signed a petition calling for the final series to be re-written.
However, they’ve had absolutely no time for the backlash, which focused on a number of controversial developments in the HBO fantasy series.
Bran Stark actor Isaac Hempstead Wright has branded it “ridiculous” and “absurd”, while Jacob Anderson called it “insulting”.
As of Monday morning, the Change.org petition, which calls for the final season to be remade with “competent writers”, had over 1.1 million signatures.
It was set up after the penultimate episode, which saw Daenerys’ decision to torch the city of King’s Landing, along with the innocent people in it, with many fans claiming it was a betrayal of her characters.
Arya and Gendry’s romance has also been a topic of debate, as has the decision to kill Cersei and Jaime Lannister with a load of falling rubble.
The TV version of Game Of Thrones overtook George RR Martin’s books quite some time ago, despite the writer being five books ahead of the show when the first season aired.
George has made no secret of his disappointment at the timeline, which left him no choice but to tell the showrunners plot secrets in order for them to finish the programme without any source material.
The final episode of Game Of Thrones airs on Monday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.