Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, and while he did a really good job portraying a monster hunter, he was initially turned down – here’s why. Based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher was released on Netflix in December 2019. The streaming giant knew what it had and renewed the series for a second season before the first one was released.
The Witcher follows three stories set in different points in time and which eventually converge. The stories are those of Geralt of Rivia, an enhanced monster hunter; Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress with a troubling past; and Ciri (Freya Allan), crown princess of Cintra and who has powers of her own. Though its was received by critics with mixed reviews, the audience reacted favorably, and The Witcher might be Netflix’s biggest first TV season ever.
One of the most talked about elements in The Witcher has been Henry Cavill’s performance as Geralt, which some love and others not so much. Of course, Cavill wasn’t the only actor interested in the role, but he was the one who fought for it the hardest, which didn’t go right at first.
The Witcher: Henry Cavill Was Turned Down As Geralt For Insisting Too Much
When Henry Cavill first heard a TV adaptation of The Witcher was in development, he reportedly bothered his agents about getting him a meeting with Netflix as he wanted to play Geralt of Rivia. Cavill knew the story and characters quite well as he’s a big fan of the video games, and so continued to bug his agents about it. Netflix eventually agreed to meet with him, but showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich didn’t have the script ready by then and didn’t even know what the show was going to be like. Hissrich didn’t see the point of having a meeting so early in the development of the series (and said she found his insistence to be “annoying”), and so Cavill was turned down.
A couple of months later, when Hissrich was working on the script and was now actively looking for the right Geralt of Rivia, over 200 actors read for the part, but Cavill’s voice was stuck in her head while writing the character’s lines. Hissrich met again with Cavill for a proper audition, and he finally got the role – and, of course, during the writing process, Cavill kept insisting to his agents to get him the part. Cavill becoming the lead in The Witcher was a combination of (extreme) perseverance, patience, and charm, as he managed to make a lasting impression on Hissrich, even if it was in part because she found him to be “annoying”.
