As the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones approaches, the cast has taken to social media to say their final goodbyes.
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The six-episode final season of Game of Thrones is not set to premiere until sometime in 2019, but with filming for the series set to wrap in early August and cast members stepping into the shoes of their characters for the final time, many are preparing to say goodbye to the series. Although set in the mythical land of Westeros, everyone from the Mother of Dragons to the King of the North and “A girl has no name” Arya Stark have gotten tech savvy to bid farewell as Winter comes and goes.
Keep scrolling to see how the cast of Game of Thrones is saying goodbye to Westeros.
Emilia Clarke
“Hopped on a boat to an island to say goodbye to the land that has been my home away from home for almost a decade. It’s been a trip @gameofthrones thank you for the life I never dreamed I’d be able to live and the family I’ll never stop missing,” actress Emilia Clarke captioned a photo she posted to her Instagram account in June.
Less than a month before bidding the series farewell, Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, confirmed that she had filmed her character’s final scene.
“It f–ed me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is…” she told Vanity Fair, though she remained tight-lipped regarding any details of her character’s final scene and whether or not the Breaker of Chains would be seated upon the Iron Throne by season’s end.
Sophie Turner
Sansa Stark said goodbye to the “pack” and sparked rumors regarding the fates of a few fan-favorite characters when she debuted new ink.
“First tattoo back home! Thank you so much for getting this from me [Sophie Turner]! Bad ass!” actress Sophie Turner wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of the freshly inked Stark family sigil tattoo.
The tattoo of a direwolf with the words “the pack survives” scrawled beneath it immediately sparked rumors that it was a possible clue that Sansa, Arya and Bran Stark and Jon Snow, the remaining Stark children, would survive the approaching war and battle for the Iron Throne. Turner, however, dispelled the rumors during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
“When I was getting it done, people advised me not to because it looked like I was giving everything away. But I wasn’t! It’s just a quote from last season, but everyone figures that the pack really does survive. It’s just a moral that I like to live by,” she said.
Kit Harington
While actor Kit Harington does not have social media, much like his Game of Thrones counterpart, he did reveal how he would be saying goodbye to his character once production comes to an end.
“I’d like to step away and enjoy the obscurity, cut my hair, make myself less recognizable as the character, and go do and some other things with a completely new look and tone,” he told Entertainment Weekly in June. “Short-short. The beard will be harder to get rid of — I quite like the beard. I like having the long hair and beard both, but it will be like ritualistic thing. I can’t go into my next role looking the same. This role was brilliant, but I’ll need to get rid of Jon Snow.”
Maisie Williams
A girl may have no name, but actress Maisie Williams still said goodbye to her character, Arya Stark.
“Goodbye belfast. goodbye arya. goodbye Game of Thrones. what a joy i’ve had. here’s to the adventures to come,” Williams captioned an image she shared to Instagram showing bloody white tennis shoes.
The actress’ goodbye message quickly sparked speculation about whether or not Williams’ shoes were a hint about the final season and the reportedly high death count.
Nathalie Emmanuel
“When you see the sunrise over Belfast with the people who, over the last 6 years, have become family… in a city that now feels like home. A new day marks new beginnings. Ain’t that the truth…. Love you all you crazy kids,” Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Daenerys Targaryen’s right hand Missandei, captioned a goodbye post to Belfast and Game of Thrones on Instagram.
Jason Momoa
Although he has not stepped into the shoes of Khal Drogo since his character met a fateful end during season 2, Jason Momoa took a moment to commemorate the series’ final season.
“I’m so grateful to be apart of the greatest show on earth. I’m honored to be able to come to Ireland and celebrate with my friends. I’m just here for kisses and hugs and The black stuff,” Momoa captioned a picture on Instagram showing himself and Kit Harington sitting upon a mock Iron Throne. “mahalo David and Dan you are legends . Congrats to the talented crew and cast. Aloha j.”
Momoa briefly sparked rumors that he would appear during the final season after he was spotted on set, though he later confirmed that his set visit was strictly social.
“I just showed up to see [producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss] and I just happened to see people on set. “I haven’t been over there in a long time. You just want to see your friends and you end up making headlines going, ‘Drogo’s back!’ and I’m like, ‘He’s dead! He can’t come back, it wouldn’t work,’” he said.
He also claimed that the final season would be the “greatest thing ever aired.”
Wrap Party
While many of the current cast members are preparing to say goodbye to the series, several former cast members joined the cast and crew for a Game of Thrones wrap party in Belfast in June. Among those in attendance were Robert Baratheon’s Mark Addy, Jason Momoa, and Ned Stark’s Sean Bean.
Final Season Table Read
The cast marked the beginning of saying goodbye to the series with a final season table read, which, according to Sophie Turner, left those present in tears.
“We had the read-through a while ago and at the end of it, we were all on our feet, applauding and crying. We had everyone there, everyone who’s had any part in this. It was amazing,” Turner told Entertainment Weekly. “We closed the blinds and shut ourselves off from the rest of the world and had six hours in this room just reading it through and crying and laughing. We had our emotional bit and then we thought, ‘Well now we’ve got eight months. We’ve still got a while to get through!’”
