How Henry Cavill Really Got Cast as Geralt of Rivia
Sometimes, being annoying about your role can be an advantage.
Henry Cavill has built an impressive career over the years, from appearing in supporting roles to portraying arguably the most recognizable superhero of all time.
But he is also a legendary figure in the fantasy and gaming communities, in part because of his outstanding portrayal of Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster exterminator from Andrzej Sapkowski's book series The Witcher.
Henry is a huge fan of the original books as well as CD Projekt RED's video game series based on them. His extraordinary passion for the source material is what helped him land the role he wanted in the first place.
In 2017, when Netflix announced a television adaptation of The Witcher with Lauren Schmidt Hissrich as showrunner, Henry knew it was his chance.
According to Vulture, he initially pushed his agents to set up a meeting with Hissrich to lobby for the role. However, it was early in the show's development and the script hadn't even been written yet, so she didn't see the point in meeting him that early.
But Henry was not about to back down so easily. As he said: "It was something I wasn't going to let pass me by without giving it my best shot."
His overwhelming dedication even began to annoy the showrunner at one point.
"I will meet with you. The show is not green-lit. There is nothing […] Thank you. Now I have to go write the show," she said.
When the script was finally in a workable form, a total of 206 actors applied for the role of Geralt.
But Cavill's enthusiasm and knowledge of the source material quickly made him stand out from the crowd, and it became clear that he was the perfect candidate for the job.
All this dedication finally paid off with the release of the first season of the series.
Although reviews were somewhat mixed, Henry's portrayal of the titular character was universally praised as the crown jewel of the project. Unfortunately, his time as The Witcher will soon come to an end.
Cavill is leaving the series due to unknown circumstances, breaking the hearts of fans. His last appearance will be in the upcoming third season of the show, with Liam Hemsworth taking his place in future seasons.