The Witcher Star Henry Cavill Explains His Character’s Bizarre Voice

Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous witcher of Netflix’s The Witcher, is portrayed in the series by Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), and as with every other adaptation of the Witcher series of books, he’s got a strong accent. What kind of accent? Well, it’s hard to describe. Really, it’s like a low grumble with a dash of Cavill’s natural English accent, mixed with a bunch of broken concrete or gravel. It is… very specific. And different from the CD Projekt Red video games, even. So, how did Cavill come up with it? It’s simple, really.

“Mythology-wise, there are a lot of changes from the books,” Cavill told TheWrap. “And there is only so much that can be done. And for me, as a performer in the show, it was my job to bring my performance and everyone else was allowed to bring their performances, separately. Yes, there is in the books, certainly, a Rivian accent.”

Cavill compared the world of The Witcher‘s The Continent to that of England, with multiple different accents across a relatively small area. Even a short distance can mean an entirely new accent, and while the books might have had Geralt serve up a Rivian accent, it would seem he felt comfortable mixing things up — because, it sounds like in Cavill’s mind, there’s going to be a wide variety even within that.

“So for me it wasn’t necessarily about giving Geralt a specific accent which was different from everyone else, because that would be impossible because there are a lot of English accents and eventually you’re gonna run into someone who has a similar accent because they are trying something different,” Cavill said. “So for me, it was about bringing a voice to Geralt which was expressing the essence of who he is in the books and bringing that to the space in the format that was allowed within the show.”

What do you think of Netflix’s The Witcher? Any particular issues with Cavill’s accent for Geralt? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Netflix describes the series:

“Based on the best-selling fantasy series, 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. 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.”

The first eight-episode season of Netflix’s The Witcher is available to stream on the platform now. It has already been renewed for a second season. Lauren S. Hissrich serves as showrunner. It stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allan as Ciri. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest adaptation right here.