Netflix released the first season of its fantasy adventure seriesThe Witchertoday, based on a popular series of books byAndrzej Sapkowski.Henry Cavillstars at the titular witcher Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter prowling the lands of the Continent in search of creatures to eradicate for some sweet, sweet coin. If you’ve already started watching the show, you might be wondering what in the name of Bilbo Baggins Cavill is doing with his voice. Despite the Continent being a clear analog for Europe, and every other character in the series speaking with a decidedly British accent, Geralt sounds like a private detective who just got back from a semester abroad.
Now right up front, it needs to be said that Cavill is a huge fan ofThe Witcher, both the novels and the video game series by CD Projekt Red based on the novels. According toan interview he gave with IGNlast year, he’s actually played throughThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntmore than once and called the book series “amazing… really really good… they are well worth a read.” So the man has done his research, and he put a lot of thought into how Geralt should speak.
Inan interview with The Wrap, Cavill explained how he approached the subject of Geralt’s strange accent (which is a thing that characters in the book series comment on), and how he ultimately decided how it should sound.
“Mythology-wise, there are a lot of changes from the books,” Cavill said. “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.”
“You look at England for example, there are a vast variety of regional accents across a very, very small space,” he explains. “And actually the Continent would be something very similar. 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 continues. 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.”
It’s worth noting that the voice Cavill chose is very close to how Geralt sounds in the video game series, of which the actor is an admitted fan. There are other subtle nods to the games throughout the show, such as the way Geralt walks and his judicious use of the phrase “hmm.” Technically the show is based on the novel series and not the games, which is a seperate license, so it’s entirely possible Cavill isn’t allowed to mention the games when talking about the show. But whatever the case, his performance as Geralt is spot-on.
For more onThe Witcher, read up oneverything you need to know aboutThe Witcherandcheck out our review.
