Henry Cavill, star of Netflix's The Witcher, discussed how he developed the unique fighting style of his character. Cavill had big shoes to fill when he was selected to portray Geralt of Rivia in the adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, chronicling the character's adventures. He did much more than merely bulk-up and change his hair-style to play the infamous monster hunter.
Netflix adapted Sapkowski's story for the small screen, which features the characters of Geralt and Ciri, linked to each other by destiny. Season 2 will aim to focus more on the relationships between the main two characters, as well as introduce supporting roles such as Vesemir - another Witcher and Geralt's mentor. However, filming of the second season was halted due to COVID-19 restrictions but is set to resume later this summer. The show features many elements that one would expect from a fantasy adventure, including the Butcher of Blaviken's swordplay, courtesy of Cavill.
Cavill spoke to Vanity Fair about his 'intense transformation' into Geralt. When discussing his combat style, Cavill wanted to make sure it was both different than his previous action roles and accurate to the character of Geralt. He also spent time watching videos of the desired fights as performed by the stunt team and would rehearse the following day. "I think it's best represented in the Blaviken fight in episode one, where I got to work [during re-shoots] with Wolfgang Stegemann and Eastwood Action Stunts and that team," said Cavill.
He wanted to make sure the character's physicality was represented clearly. Still, with little speaking lines, the actor also wanted the action to represent who Geralt was as a person, specifically in the fight against Renfri. "He's on the defensive with a couple of moves to try and put her on the back foot, and she doesn't listen, and she keeps on pressing the attack. Eventually, you see the point when he realizes that she won't stop, that he will die because she is quick enough. So he presses the attack. The story of who he is as a character is told so physically there," Cavill said.
When it comes to creating a live-action fantasy series or movie, it is essential the action scenes feel realistic and are grounded in the environment around the action. In The Witcher, sword and magic fights are the most prevalent, with the former being the more practical of the two. For his role, Cavill trained extensively to make sure the character of Geralt was brought to life accurately, even taking a page out of Tom Cruise's book by performing his own stunts to get even more into his role. It worked out well, as Cavill's shocking transformation brought the character to life.
While it might be another year or so before more The Witcher hits Netflix, the hope is that it delivers on the high expectations set by season 1. Though some changes have been made to the script due to the delay in filming, ideally, they improve the overall execution of season 2, and the COVID-19 shutdown isn't too much of a hindrance to their plans. With some changes from the source material, the showrunners have the opportunity to tell the story the way they want. The actors, such as Cavill, have worked hard to make sure that their portrayals do justice to the words written into existence decades ago.
Source: Vanity Fair