Make My Money Matter has launched a short film featuring Kit Harington and Rose Leslie in a bid to put pressure on high street banks financing fossil fuel expansion.
Created by advertising agency Mother, the spot sees Harington and Leslie star in a provocative therapy session scene, their first collaboration project since Game of Thrones.
Directed by Ben Strebel through Biscuit, ‘The Hidden Relationship’ uses humour to highlight what goes on behind the scenes between the UK’s largest high street banks and the fossil fuel industry.
According to the latest Banking on Climate Chaos report, in 2022 ‘The Big Five’ UK high street banks – Barclays, HSBC, Santander, NatWest and Lloyds – funnelled 29 billion ($37 billion) towards the fossil fuel sector.
The film sees the actor couple personify UK banks and their oil and gas clients, playing out an unhealthy relationship in a tongue-in-cheek couples’ therapy session.
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“Our largest high-street banks are in a dangerous relationship with the fossil fuel industry – and it’s time we all knew about it,” Make My Money Matter founder Richard Curtis said. “In 2022 alone, household names like Barclays and HSBC poured billions into the fossil fuel sector, ignoring clear warnings that new oil and gas fields risk causing catastrophic climate change. Such activity is not only bad for people and planet, it also runs against the wishes of millions of UK citizens who want their money tackling the climate crisis, not fuelling the fire.”
Kit Harington and Rose Leslie added: “When Richard contacted us to be part of this, we thought he was offering us free couples therapy. Alas, no such luck, he was bringing to our attention something we could agree on. This is an incredibly important awareness campaign about the dangerous relationship between our banks and the fossil fuel industry. But it is more than just awareness…. People really care about this – and it’s time for banks to listen and act.”
Mother creative director James Ross-Edwards also believes that people want to know who their bank is in a relationship with.
“We hope that our subtle use of humour will help get the truth through to people across the UK,” he added. “Having – real life and onscreen uber couple – Kit and Rose acting this out for us was phenomenal.”
