NEED TO KNOW
Liam Hemsworth’s dramatic entrance into The Witcher wasn’t actually as drama-filled as it seemed at the time.
For the first time, the team behind the hit Netflix series has broken its silence on Henry Cavill’s exit after three seasons and Hemsworth stepping in to take over the role of Geralt of Rivia.
Showrunner Lauren Hissrich told Entertainment Weekly that Cavill’s departure was a result of conversations that had been going on “for a while” behind the scenes, though it left fans shocked when he announced it on Instagram in October 2022.
“He had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to,” she said of Cavill, 42. “And for us, you don’t want to hold someone and force them to be doing something that they don’t want to do. I think that’s why it felt like a really symbiotic decision.”
Netflix
For Hemsworth, 35, it was both daunting and exciting to step into Cavill’s shoes, and the nerves were exacerbated by the audience response to the recasting. “I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year,” he told the outlet.
“There was quite a bit of noise, and I had to put that aside. It started to become a distraction,” he said.
“I dealt with that sort of thing in the past a lot and, you know, at the end of the day, I love making movies and I love telling stories and acting. I just don’t want any of that to affect my way of telling the story that I’m trying to tell.”
The offer “came out of nowhere,” the Hunger Games star claimed, and he was “as surprised as anyone.” According to the showrunner, though, Hemsworth’s name “has been out there for a very long time” in the world of The Witcher.
Hemsworth also clarified that he is a “massive fan” of Cavill and “what he did in the show” for the first three seasons.
Susie Allnutt/Netflix
Cavill simultaneously announced his exit and his recasting on Instagram in 2022, as he called Hemsworth “fantastic.”
“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.”
Anya Chalotra, who plays the titular character’s love interest Yennefer, told the outlet that she “cried” when she learned of Cavill’s departure.
“I remember it so vividly. It really impacted me,” the actress said. “We were so bonded to these people, and to lose such an important member of the team … I’ve put everything into this character. I started [the show] having not much work under my belt, and this show means the world to me. So it hurt.”
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The Witcher season 4 premieres Oct. 30 on Netflix.
