The Witcher Knowledge

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One Voice, Three Games (and a Movie)

Doug Cockle has voiced Geralt of Rivia in English across all three mainline Witcher games, sticking with the role for well over a decade. He's since confirmed he'll be reprising the part again for the animated film The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.

Henry Cavill Basically Begged For The Role

Cavill wasn't just cast, he campaigned for it. He'd been a huge fan of the books and games long before Netflix got involved, and once he heard a show was in the works he kept pushing his agents to get him a meeting. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich actually tested over 200 other actors for Geralt before she gave in and let him read.

The Crying Baby Problem

In the season one carriage attack scene, the production used a real baby for the shot, and unsurprisingly it would not stop crying on cue. The team ended up leaning on VFX to fake several elements of that sequence, including the sword strikes hitting the carriage walls.

Elder Speech Is A Real Constructed Language

The magic users of the Continent, like Geralt and Yennefer, don't just mutter fantasy gibberish when they cast spells. Elder Speech is treated as its own proper in-world language throughout the series, separate from the English used for everyday dialogue.

The Reavers' Accent Came From The Stunt Team

Steve Wall, who plays Boholt, wasn't a fan of the East London-style accent the Reavers use in the games. Instead he based his own take on the character on the Slovakian fight choreographers he was working alongside on set, which is why Boholt sounds nothing like his game counterpart.

Yennefer And Jaskier's Actors Are Genuinely Best Mates

Anya Chalotra and Joey Batey aren't just playing well against each other on screen. The two have said in multiple interviews that they became close friends during filming and still do joint press together, which probably explains why their scenes have such easy chemistry.

The Bathtub Scene Is A Deliberate Game Reference

Geralt's infamous nude bathtub moment wasn't just fan service for the sake of it, it's a direct nod to a similarly iconic scene from The Witcher 3. Unlike the game, though, the show actually gives the moment proper narrative context pulled from the source novels rather than just dropping it in.

Cavill Wrecked His Eyes Filming In The Canary Islands

Geralt's contacts weren't kind to Henry Cavill. He was told never to wear them for more than three hours at a stretch because of the damage they could cause, but he kept them in longer anyway, and while shooting in the Canary Islands, volcanic dust got trapped behind the lenses and scratched his eyes badly enough that he could barely open them.

A Whole Monster Fight Got Cut For Money

Season three's fourth episode opens with Geralt walking into an inn already covered in Selkie Maw blood and guts. The full fight was originally meant to be shown on screen, and concept art for it exists, but it got axed because the budget couldn't stretch that far.

The Showrunner Came From The West Wing And Daredevil

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich wasn't a fantasy specialist before taking this on. Her résumé includes writing and producing credits on The West Wing, Parenthood, and Marvel's Daredevil and The Defenders, a pretty different toolkit that she brought over to building the Continent.