For Anya Chalotra, Joey Batey and Freya Allan, doing press for season three of The Witcher must be a bizarre experience.
For one, Henry Cavill himself isn’t doing any. The other reason? He’s actually leaving the show. This will be his last season donning Geralt’s white wig and sword – something his castmates are keenly aware of.
“We found out quite a few months after wrapping… we found out the day before the world found out. It was a shock. Everyone was in shock at the same time,” Allan (who plays Ciri, Geralt’s surrogate daughter) says.
“I cried when I found out; I just didn’t expect it. I feel very connected to him through our characters. It was sad.”
Instead of Cavill, season four will begin filming with Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth in the titular role; something that seems to have been done rather hastily. Did Chalotra, Batey or Allan do chemistry readings with Hemsworth to get to know him ahead of the news breaking? “No, we didn’t. We just got told the day before it was announced,” Allan says. “So it was a lot.” The cast are actually yet to meet him in person.
“We’ve reached out and done our best to welcome him [Hemsworth],” Batey (who plays bard Jaskier) says. “And, you know, we’ve emailed and exchanged book quotes, that sort of thing. And by all accounts, it sounds like he’s just in training. He’s taking on the role incredibly seriously.”
Is he a fan of the books, I ask? Batey smiles politely. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be doing it if he wasn’t.”
Cavill announced his resignation in October 2022 with an Instagram post.
“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” he wrote.
“In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.”
Reports later emerged that Cavill had quit due to creative differences between himself and The Witcher’s showrunners.
However, he will be making one last appearance in season three of The Witcher, the first part of which airs on Netflix from June 29 and teases more danger ahead for Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer - including the appearance of the Wild Hunt, who are tracking down Ciri for her magical powers.
