Henry Cavill on The Witcher: ‘Geralt tells a lot, especially when he doesn’t speak’

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In a newly-published interview, Henry Cavill spoke with the German magazine Serien about his role of Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher. Here is our translation of the interview.

Thanks to WitcherFlix for providing the a copy of the magazine!

How would you describe the world of “The Witcher”?
The fascinating thing is that besides all the fantasy elements like elves, gnomes and magic there is a very real layer. For example, it’s about racism, social injustice, colonial behaviour. Actually there are also no heroes, thus no distinct black-and-white thinking. And that’s why the story is not only interesting for fantasy fans. 

Have you been familiar with the saga before filming?
I’m a huge fantasy and Sci-Fi fan. I’ve played the games before I came to the books. So because I knew the story privately, the project appealed to me immediately.

How did you lay out the character of Geralt of Rivia?
Geralt tells a lot, especially when he doesn’t speak. That was a challenge. When everyone around him is chatting and he watches, his gaze and his gestures are saying more than a thousand words. That’s a very important aspect of his personality.

Besides you, there are two other main characters in the series, Yennefer and Ciri. How do we have to imagine the story? Are you going on a journey together like the companions in “Lord of the Rings”?
No, and that’s the interesting thing. All three are strolling on different paths that eventually converge, of course. The thing with Geralt is, for example, that he thinks he is always in control. But in truth his surrounding is controlling him. He is that wonderfully stubborn but at the same time tender-hearted character, led by determination.

You got famous as Superman. How much did that role influence you?
It has changed everything. Absolutely everything. Through that role I was introduced into the world of comic culture. What differs that role from others is that you have to live it to a certain extent. Especially when you meet young people who don’t know Henry Cavill, the actor. They see Superman. That’s a big responsibility, a responsibility which I gladly assume because it means a lot. When I, by a single encounter or deed, can influence the life of a young person positively, then that’s awesome.

But wait, that’s not all! The Serien magazine includes another article about their set visit in Budapest earlier this year and they may or may not have confirmed the release date of The Witcher.

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