It's always a truly special situation when an actor feels a particular connection to their role. People like J.K. Simmons as J. Johan Jameson and Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall come to mind as performers who are so perfectly suited for their parts that it's almost scary. But Henry Cavill's role in The Witcher shows what happens when the connection goes beyond the character itself?
Those situations are fewer and far between, but that just makes them all the more significant when they pop up. In the case of The Witcher's Cavill, audiences instantly fell in love with his gruff and grunty take on the titular character, Geralt of Rivia. But it turned out that Cavill's suitability for the role came from more than just a lucky set of acting skills. He absolutely loves The Witcher as a franchise, from the books to the games and beyond, and that passion came in handy during filming.
In a recent interview with South African entertainment news site Fortress of Solitude, stars Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Freya Allan (Ciri) joined The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to speak about their experiences on the show and the upcoming season. Naturally, as these things go, the discussion inevitably shifted to their co-stars, specifically Cavill himself as Geralt. The 3 were quick to point out how dedicated he is to not only his role, but the entire lore of the show itself, and singled him out when asked which cast member is the best Witcher player when it comes to the games.
"He's a total nerd," Chalotra said, before Allan added, "he's like a Witcher bible on set. We'll be doing a scene and he'll be like 'I think we should use this line from page 253 of Blood of Elves,' and I'm like how does this dude know all this stuff?" Suddenly Cavill's admission that he revisited the Witcher games before filming season 2 seems that much more on-brand for the beloved actor.
That sort of commitment to the bit is a true rarity in Hollywood. Sure, plenty of people will employ particularly intense method acting in order to really immerse themselves in any given role, but finding someone like Cavill who's already a genuine fan of the series before even joining just sounds like one of those nearly unattainable dreams.
As well-cast as Cavill seems to be in roles like Superman in the DC Extended Universe and Sherlock in Enola Holmes and its upcoming sequel, even casual viewers can see that there's something more to his performance in The Witcher. Here's hoping he gets to stay in the role for a long time to come. He deserves it.
The Witcher season 2 premieres on December 17, 2021, on Netflix.
Source: Fortress of Solitude/YouTube