With "The Witcher" Season 3 Coming Out, Here's Why Henry Cavill Is Irreplaceable As Geralt

"Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."

The Witcher has returned for a third season, and while plans for (at least two) further seasons are there, it's the last time we'll see Henry Cavill as Geralt.

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While the main cast – Freya Allen, Anya Chalotra, and Joey Batey have all earnt their praise, Henry has really proven himself to be a perfect Geralt, even after some initial scepticism.

Have a look at the trailer for the third season here:

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This is no slight against Liam Hemsworth, who is set to take over the role, but many fans of The Witcher, me included, cannot see another Geralt – and here's why:

Netflix / Jamie Mccarthy / Via Getty Images

1. Importantly, he's been Geralt from the start...

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Look, casting changes occur pretty regularly in TV shows, and sometimes it's pretty seamless. However, you can't just replace the MAIN character after three seasons and expect it to go down okay. 

If they wanted a new Geralt, make a new The Witcher series with someone else from the very beginning – the fact that they chose Henry for a few seasons and are now replacing him takes so much away from the future series'.

2. Most importantly, he LOVED the source material.

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It's true that to be an actor, you don't have to know, or even be interested in, the film or show that you're acting in. Hell, Gwyneth Paltrow can't even remember which MCU films she's starred in!

However, Cavill's fascination with The Witcher – both the books and the game –helped him to portray a character that is really the bedrock of the show. In fact, Henry himself said that he was "effusive in being loyal to the source material". 

Henry said that he didn't even consider it a job: "For me, it is more like an extraordinary opportunity to live my childhood and adult life fantasies."

3. He clearly felt that the part of Geralt was his destiny (which is good because destiny is what the show's all about).

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Cavill badgered his agents to let him meet with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich before the show had even been green-lit. In fact, Henry's quest to play Geralt was so dogged that Hissrich even said she found him "annoying". However, after hearing 206 actors audition for the part, she still couldn't get him out of her head (who can blame her?) and so she ended up casting him.

4. He was like a "Witcher bible" on set.

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Freya Allan gave us a peek behind the curtain, revealing what it's like to film with Henry – "on set, we'll be doing a scene... and he'll be like, 'I think we should use this line from page 253 from Blood of Elves.'" Okay, so maybe he was a know-it-all, but he was a lovable one!

5. At times, he carried the show.

No offense to Liam Hemsworth, he is a great actor, but Henry Cavill IS Geralt of Rivia. He brought that character to life better than i thought anyone could. I think this change will kill @witchernetflix for me. #Witcher #HenryCavill pic.twitter.com/rs7uPw59xL

— Brandon Root (@B_R00T) October 29, 2022

Twitter: @B_R00T

A great amount of the disappointment from fans comes from the fact that, when they felt the writing let them down, Henry's Geralt was the one constant holding the show up. 

This is why many fans were outraged, as for many of them, he was the main selling point of the show.

6. He loves playing and re-playing the games and does so on the hardest difficulty.

CD Projekt

Henry revealed that the trilogy of games was his gateway into fantasy, and said that the rough tone of his voice in the show was inspired by Doug Cockle's Geralt in the games. 

Despite being based on the books and not the games, the series made sure to give a nod to gamers by including the iconic bathtub scene. Henry actually wanted to try and put his feet up in the scene as a homage to the famous bit in the game! We would've gotten that steamy moment if not for an awkward-sized bath and the suggestion from someone on set that it might be a bit much.

7. He was intent on doing Geralt's character arc justice.

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Henry's goal for his version of Geralt was to stay as true to the character from the books as he could. This had an impact going into season two, with Henry pushing really hard to give Geralt more of a voice (literally) in order to delve deeper into his character.

Speaking to Lorraine, Henry alluded to his own input into Geralt's personal development for the second season, "Andrzej Sapkowski wrote an incredibly nuanced and beautiful three-dimensional character, and I campaigned very very hard to make sure that character existed in season two."

8. He's a huge gaming and role-play fan, which we love to see!

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Did you know that Henry is a proper fantasy fanatic? In an interview with Graham Norton, he explained his love of both The Witcher and Warhammer. He also famously nearly missed Zach Snyder informing him of his Superman role because he was deep in a raid on World of Warcraft. Priorities, right?

9. He nailed the neutrality.

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One of Geralt's primary personality traits is his surly, calm, and impartiality. While Geralt is a lover of art and has a strong degree of intelligence – something Henry was keen to dive into – he's also a reserved character, who stays neutral to the politics of the world. 

Henry portrayed this rather a niche character trait wonderfully and has spoken about this part of Gerlats character, saying: 

“Geralt has seen how politics work out. A lot of it’s incredibly selfish. No matter which side anyone’s on, they’re doing the thing for them. He’s like, ‘Why would I pick a side when the same thing’s going to happen?’” 

10. He insisted on doing all of his own stunts and swordwork, which he went all-in on.

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When asked whether the swordwork was him, Henry replied, "that is 100% me. It is very important to me that I continue the character into the action. The character must exist within the action as well as in the dialogue scenes."

Henry spent a lot of time on and off set with a sword in his hand, and even trained for 10 days for just two minutes of fighting! Now that's commitment. 

11. He and Joey Batey were the perfect duo.

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Geralt's friendship with Jaskier provides much of the comic relief in the series, which contrasts super well alongside some of the darker moments. Two scenes that sum them up perfectly are when Geralt is in the bath (again), and when Geralt goes back to save Yen, and says Jaskier "are you perhaps short of a marble?!"

Oh, and who could forget all of their antics which led up to Jaskier's wonderful song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher"?!

If you're interested, here's three and a half minutes of Geralt and Jaskier just being Geralt and Jaskier:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

12. He managed to convince the naysayers that he truly is the best Geralt, and that's a credit to him.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Netflix

When he was first cast, many fans thought Henry was "too pretty" and traditionally handsome to play the rugged, scarred Geralt. However, his familiarity with the franchise and his penchant for detail (notably, the low growly voice) helped to convince many sceptics!

On the left: pretty-boy Superman. On the right: rugged mutant Geralt.

13. But he also understood that some stans of The Witcher books and games might not like the series, and that's okay.

Jake's Takes / Via youtube.com

That's right folks, he's humble too! Henry has refused to condemn opinionated fans, arguing that they have the right to their opinions. His denial that The Witcher has a 'toxic' fandom makes him ~even~ more likeable!

Speaking to Jake Hamilton, Henry commented that with games and books, you'll never be exactly what people imagined in their heads.

14. Andrej Sapkowski – who wrote The Witcher book series – gave Henry his seal of approval. So, y'know, that's that really.

Netflix, Torsten Silz / DDP/AFP via Getty Images, New Line Cinema

Andrej Sapkowski gave Henry some of the highest praise possible for his embodiment of Geralt. Of his performance, Andrej has said, "just as Viggo Mortensen put his face to Aragorn, so Henry gave his to Geralt – and it shall be forever so". Considering Viggo's Aragorn is one of THE most iconic characters in fantasy history, I'd say that's good going for Henry!

15. Oh, and the relationship Henry has with his dog Kal is essentially the same relationship Geralt has with Roach – which I find utterly adorable!

Instagram: @henrycavill

From his Instagram post – "the bond Kal and I share is so second nature by now that some light affection like this is all instinct."

Sound familiar?

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16. Finally, his farewell to the show and good luck message to Liam really drives home how much he cared about the role.

Gareth Cattermole / Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images

In a true example of his humbleness, Henry's statement regarding his departure from the show went as follows:

"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.

In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."

You can watch The Witcher season 3 on Netflix right now! Let us know your opinions in the comments below.