Game Of Thrones fans have helped raise more than £30,000 for Emilia Clarke’s charity, with a fundraiser intended to show their support to her and the rest of the show’s cast.
The last series of Game Of Thrones wrapped up a week ago, and has proved to be contentious among fans, many of whom took issue with its pacing, as well as certain character decisions.
An online petition was even set up urging the writers to re-write the show’s final episodes, which has since been criticised by cast members like Sophie Turner.
Following this controversy, a new fundraiser has garnered attention on social media, which encourages fans to donate to Emilia’s charity SameYou, intended to point out fans’ gripes are not with the show’s cast.
A post on JustGiving by one Game Of Thrones fan reads: “On March 21st 2019, weeks before the final season of Game of Thrones was set to air, Emilia Clarke penned a personal essay for the New Yorker.
“In it, she opened up about the serious health struggles she experienced in the early stages of filming for the show, and how she fought through pain, fear and exhaustion to give her all to each performance. Her revelation came as a huge shock; to know that in season 2, while Daenerys was leading her khalasar across the bleak Red Waste and fiercely fighting for her life at the gates of Qarth, Emilia was similarly fighting for hers.She speaks often of the inspiration and source of strength that Dany has been for her over the past ten years, and she is not alone.
“Emilia’s incredible Emmy-worthy acting and dedication to her character has inspired thousands and, as each season passed, we fell more and more in love with Dany. We rooted for her through trauma and hardship. We watched her triumph over her enemies and struggle with responsibility of rule. We saw her grapple between the urge for revenge, and the need for justice. And even at the very end, when things took a tragic turn for Daenerys Stormborn, Emilia still made us feel pity for the little girl who only ever wanted to return to her home.”
The fan goes on to say that the “tongue-in-cheek nature” of the original has “flown over a lot of people’s heads”, prompting them to set up a counter-petition.
“A gesture of love and support from the fandom to the entire cast & crew,” they add. “But also particularly to the woman who poured her very soul into her character, who delivered passionate speeches in High Valyrian and Dothraki in between questioning her very mortality, and inspired so many of us with her resilience - I am setting up this page as a public support of her charity, SameYou.”
In the space of four days, the page has raised an impressive £30,000, which will be donated to SameYou, Emilia’s charity which helps rehabilitate young adults who have suffered brain injuries and strokes.
The cause is close to Emilia’s hearts, having shared her own experiences earlier this year of suffering multiple brain aneurysms in the early years of Game Of Thrones.
CORRECTION: This story originally referred to the fundraiser as a “counter-petition”. This has since been amended to reflect the intentions of those behind the JustGiving page.