On Friday, The Witcher finally released on Netflix. During the show’s eight-episode first season, Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia faces off with a number of monstrous and powerful foes, from the insectoid Kikkimore to the horrifying Striga. These battles take all of the monster slayer’s strength and cunning to defeat, but Cavill’s greatest enemy throughout filming was something that would seem a bit more benign: the leather pants Geralt wears throughout the series. During the press tour for The Witcher, Cavill discussed his struggles with that particular article of clothing, and the problems it posed for the show’s wardrobe department.
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“The leather trousers … we had our struggles with those,” Cavill said during a press conference in Manilla.
“It wasn’t getting them off or on. The problem is, leather stretches, and because Geralt leaps around, they end up not looking so flattering after a while. We had to redesign the trousers throughout to make them more suited to the sort of athleticism Geralt carries out on a daily basis.”
That athleticism proved to be challenging at times for Cavill. The Witcher filmed throughout Eastern Europe, in countries such as Hungary and Poland. Since the actor insisted on avoiding the use of a stunt double, many scenes required Cavill to swing swords while keeping balance on terrain that could be soaked by rain, or otherwise impacted by the natural elements of those regions. It’s easy to imagine that performing these sorts of fight scenes in leather pants could prove to be just a bit difficult!
The Witcher is based on the short stories of Andrzej Sapkowski. In those tales, the invasion of the Kingdom of Cintra by the Empire of Nilfgaard alters the course of Geralt’s life. After escaping the invasion, Cintra’s princess Ciri comes under the care of Geralt, and the two find themselves accompanied by the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt’s former lover. The relationship that forms between these three characters forms the crux of The Witcher‘s narrative. Throughout the series, the trio find themselves encountering a number of foes, including monstrous creatures, and equally monstrous humans. The series released to mostly strong reviews, and a second season is expected to begin filming in early 2020.
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