The Witcher has a number of highlights, but it’s hard to overlook the wonderful duo that is Henry Cavill’s Geralt and Joey Batey’s Jaskier, who light up the screen every time they are on screen together. The great news is that Netflix’s much-anticpated adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s stories features quite a bit of the duo, and both are definitely recognizable to fans of the books. Geralt will also be easily recognized by those who played the games, though a few might be slightly confused by Jaskier, a character who goes by Dandelion in the hit games from CD Projekt Red. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak to Batey all about his role in the show, including how he reacted to Jaskier’s costume in the show and the biggest differences between his take on the character and the games.
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“You’d need to talk to Tim Aslam, our wonderful costume designer on the show, about that,” Batey said. “When I first played the games, I loved John Schwab’s performance in the games. I think we’re very different and I think that’s very easy also because he has an American accent. I have a British one, and so, instantly we’re worlds apart. We even have different names. So I never at any point felt, like I was going to in any ways tread on his toes. But regarding the costumes, I actually really loved them. I remember ringing Lauren and having a chat about them and the first thing out of her mouth was no codpieces and no tights, and I was like thank the Lord because I’m not spending what could potentially be the next seven years of my life wearing tights.”
“Again, this is very early on. In the games, he’s much older,” Batey said. “The games take place, obviously, after the book series. This is Jaskier’s sort of origin story. This is the person who he was before he became that authority. These are the sort of rough and ready clothes, and fancy as they are, you can still get the impression that this is a guy who can make it out of a tavern window at the drop of a hat if needed. That was something that I really enjoyed, was the fact that there was some looseness to it. There was a chicness to it, but there was … this is still a guy who goes on adventures sometimes. It sort of was the best of both worlds for me.”
We absolutely adore Dandelion, but we’re betting that by season’s end you’ll love Jaskier equally as much, and we cannot wait to see what he can do in season 2.
You can find the official description for Netflix‘s The Witcher below, and you can check out our full review right here.
“Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts,” Netflix said. “But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”
Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), Jodhi May (Calanthe), Bjรถrn Hlynur Haraldsson (Eist), Adam Levy (Mousesack), MyAnna Buring (Tissaia), Mimi Ndiweni (Fringilla), Therica Wilson-Read (Sabrina), Emma Appleton (Renfri), Eamon Farren (Cahir), Joey Batey (Jaskier), Lars Mikkelsen (Stregobor), Royce Pierreson (Istredd), Maciej Musiaล (Sir Lazlo), Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Dara), and Anna Shaffer as Triss.
The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix now, and you can check out more from our Witcher coverage right here. You can also hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Witcher!
