Netflix’s The Witcher is not an adaptation of the video games by CD Projekt Red, but instead the source material: author Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series. Even so, the video games provide a sort of baseline expectation for the series, and everyone knows it — including Netflix’s Geralt of Rivia himself, Henry Cavill. When addressing his character’s voice in a recent interview, including what notes he took from the likes of the game, Cavill also made a surprising revelation: Geralt’s grunts weren’t in the script.
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Minor spoilers for the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher follow. You’ve been warned.
“Actually, I think, none of the grunts were in there,” Cavill says in a recent interview with BBC Radio 1. “All the grunts, I either added or didn’t say anything and just grunted instead. And it was often up to the other actors to go, ‘I think he’s not going to say anything now.’ And so, I think the grunts were often a surprise for anyone who was watching.”
The voice wasn’t the only game element Cavill tackled in the interview, however. He also revealed that he was very… aware of the bathtub scene.
“I don’t know how many people realized how iconic it was, that there was already a visual attached,” Cavill says. “And so, when I was getting into that bath, I was sitting there thinking, ‘I wonder if anyone knows how much this is going to explode, this particular scene.’ I was trying to put my feet up, and I couldn’t; the bath was the wrong shape. But I thought that might have been a bit much as well.”
What do you think of Netflix’s The Witcher? What did you think of Cavill’s grunting as 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.
