The Witcher: Why Henry Cavill Wanted To Play Geralt
Why did DCEU star Henry Cavill wanted to be cast as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher? It comes down to his love of games.
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Henry Cavill was incredibly eager to play Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s 2019 show The Witcher. The Witcher, which became one of Netflix’s most popular shows when it premiered, is based on a popular book series by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski and the three critically-acclaimed The Witcher video games the books inspired. In the show, Cavill plays the titular “witcher,” a human who was mutated to better kill monsters.
The DCEU actor had already firmly established himself as one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood long before The Witcher began pre-production, from his turns as Clark Kent in Man of Steel and August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, to Napoleon Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. So why was he so intent on being cast in this project destined for the small screen? It turns out that The Witcher is something of a passion project for the renowned British actor.
When Henry Cavill first learned that a Netflix adaptation of The Witcher was in development, he reportedly badgered his agents to get him a meeting with the showrunners. He was incredibly keen to play Geralt and wanted an opportunity to lobby for the role. Cavill himself admitted that “It was something I wasn’t going to let pass me by without giving it my best shot. I annoyed my agents all the time” [via Vulture]. Why was the action superstar so invested in The Witcher?
Cavill revealed that he has long been a fan of The Witcher video games, having played the 100-hour long The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt through two and a half times. Video games are a way for the actor to escape the pressures of his day-to-day life, so he explained in an interview with GQ Magazine, and though the Netflix series is inspired more by its written source material than the video game franchise, Cavill was nonetheless eager to play the famed Geralt of Rivia.
The actor was so insistent that Netflix eventually agreed to meet with him. By that point, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich had not yet written the script, nor did she have a clear idea of the show’s direction, so she swiftly sent Cavill back on his way. Over the following months however, she auditioned over 200 actors for the part of the titular character, but was apparently unable to get Cavill’s voice out of her mind. Hissrich therefore met with him again for an audition, after which it became clear that Superman was indeed the man for the job. Put simply, Henry Cavill was such a fan of The Witcher franchise that he just had to be the one cast as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s series adaptation. His insistence and passion ultimately convinced the showrunners that he would be the best fit for the role, a decision which evidently paid off as his portrayal was widely praised.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/witcher-henry-cavill-geralt-role-wanted-why/