In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, The Witcher star Henry Cavill talked about his portrayal of Geralt of Rivia, his challenging sword fights as a medieval monster assassin, and the high expectations for the new Netflix fantasy epic.
Preparing for the Role
The former Superman star admitted that after playing the video games and reading the books, he developed a deeper desire to portray the lead role.
"It was one of those things that because I grew up with the fantasy genre and I hear Netflix is making a TV show, it was, for me, the exact role I want to go for. This is the stuff I live for. I love doing my best to stay faithful to the lore," he said.
He also revealed that he previously did not have any specific sword fight training. To get comfortable with the sword again, he worked with master swordsman Vladimir Furdik before filming began.
"Otherwise, it's all instinct for me. I've done some stuff before; I'm not a complete stranger when it comes to swords. It was all about letting it fly and relying on my physicality and applying it to the love of fantasy I have. I've lived in the genre since I was a kid, and it's my jam. To be able to swing a sword around if I have some choreography so, I don't look silly: perfect," the 36-year-old actor said.
Furdik is best known for being a stuntman on HBO's Game of Thrones.' He also portrayed the Night King in the sixth season until the series finale.
The New Chapter in the Fantasy Saga
When asked if he thinks the audiences connect more with fantasy today than they have in the past, Cavill said that people have always liked these fictional stories. The British actor even compared his titular show with The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, saying that the three are all just chapters in the saga.
"Lord of the Rings I suppose is a big turning point, when everyone said, 'Oh, those books that we all love' - whether secretly or openly - 'actually can make great movies.' I'm sure there was plenty of stuff before that as well, but that really opened a door, I think, especially for the business minds at studios who saw they could make some serious money off of this. It's not just a small group of people; everyone likes these stories. Game of Thrones was just another chapter in the saga, and Witcher will be the next one," he said.
Adapting a Book-Turned-Video Game
The Man of Steel actor also acknowledged the challenge that comes from bringing a novel onto the small screen and portraying a character from a video game.
"It's a very difficult task when you have a series of books. Books are very difficult to adapt anyway because you're talking about inner monologues of all sorts. But, for me, especially in this, it's about boiling the character down to his essence so the truth of the character can fit within the structure of the show," the actor from London explained.
"In the games you're playing a non-real character who can do extraordinary things. If I can make it look like my character can do something similar or better, perfect. That's what I wanted," he added.
What to Expect From the New Fantasy Epic
Apart from the show's epic fight scenes and promising visual effects, Cavil hints that the brilliant mind of the showrunner and show-stopping performances of her co-actors are to watch for.
"What [showrunner] Lauren [Hissrich] has done - quite courageously in taking on this huge IP and bringing her own vision to it - is write up the backstory of Anya [Chalotra]'s character [Yennefer] and Freya [Allan]'s character [Ciri]," the actor said.
"The ladies have done such an extraordinary job with those characters. Anya is exceptional. Freya gives such a vulnerable strength. To see them perform like that makes you realize the possibilities of these adaptations. For me, it's about making sure that I stay as true to the character from the books as I can," he added.
More The Witcher News
The Witcher is a Netflix epic fantasy series adapted from the books of Andrzej Sapkowski. It was also previously adapted as a video game trilogy by Polish game developer CD Projekt Red.
A month ahead of its debut, the show was given a rare early renewal by the streaming service. Production for the second season will begin early next year in London while the is premiere set in the fall of 2021.
The Witcher premieres on Netflix on Dec. 20 (Friday).
Watch The Witcher's Official Trailer
RELATED LINK: Netflix's The Witcher Is Showing This December
