The Witcher provided breakout roles for a lot of actors on the show, with many of them now recognizable because of their portrayal of characters fans have loved from the books and video games. Season 1 of The Witcher came out at the perfect time, with Game of Thrones coming to an end and high fantasy fans looking for a new show to binge on; and now with the release of season 2, there's even more content for fans to enjoy.
The Witcher already had a strong fandom; Henry Cavill's love of the games and books helped make him the perfect Geralt, and he was a big-name actor to pull in more viewers. But there are many actors in the series that have appeared in other popular movies and shows.
Henry Cavill - Man of Steel (2013)
Henry Cavill is probably amongst the most recognizable in The Witcher cast, known for playing Superman in Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Justice League. He also starred alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout.
Man of Steel was his first appearance as Superman and one of his first major roles. Cavill's role of Geralt on The Witcher differs significantly from his role as Clark Kent. When he's portraying Superman, he's less gritty, dark, and probably not likely to participate in murder.
Anna Shaffer - Harry Potter (2009-2011)
Anna Shaffer plays the important role of Triss on The Witcher, one of Geralt's love interests. Long before starring in the show, she played Romilda Vane in the Harry Potter movies. Romilda had a huge crush on Harry, and made a love potion for him, which was mistakenly taken by Ron.
If fans had to sort The Witcher characters into Hogwarts houses, Triss would certainly be Gryffindor considering Shaffer already played one. She was much younger in Harry Potter, so many fans might have failed to recognize her. Especially now that her character Triss has red hair to more accurately resemble the book and video games.
Mimi Ndiweni - Doctor Who (2020)
As well as playing the powerful Fringilla on The Witcher, Mimi Ndiweni has appeared in some impressive science fiction titles. Ndiweni portrayed Abby in an episode of Doctor Who, in which she was on a spaceship in desperate need of oxygen. She also portrayed a resistance officer in Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker.
Going from Doctor Who, to Star Wars and The Witcher, she's definitely a Doctor Who actor who starred in big-budget films and shows. Her role as Fringilla on The Witcher is incredibly different from her past roles, and is also her first time playing such a powerful and important character.
Eamon Farren - Twin Peaks (2017)
Eamon Farren seems to lean towards more complex, troubled characters, even if they're in vastly different genres. Farren portrayed Richard Horne in Twin Peaks, who was heavily involved in the drug trade and also an antagonist on the show.
In The Witcher, he's definitely not as evil as his character on Twin Peaks, but he does take many darker paths on the show. His role on The Witcher is already bigger than it was on Twin Peaks, which means there's a chance for Cahir to grow and make better decisions going forward.
MyAnna Buring - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
MyAnna Buring is not new to playing powerful characters, she's been a prominent actor for over a decade and previously played the vampire Tanya in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2. Hardcore Witcher fans who played The Witcher 3 DLC Blood and Wine might recognize her voice from the game, as she voiced the character, Anna Henrietta.
The Twilight movies might be worth rewatching to catch MyAnna and other surprise actors in the series. Despite being a vampire, MyAnna's character Tanya was a "vegetarian" vampire who only fed on animals.
Royce Pierreson - The Irregulars (2021)
The Irregulars is a canceled Netflix show that deserved another season, along with the likes of many other shows on the streaming service. The Irregulars provided a twist on the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and Royce Pierreson portrayed Dr. Watson on the show.
Luckily The Irregulars cancellation didn't put a damper on Pierreson's career as he has a stable role on The Witcher as Istredd. Pierreson had his start with small roles in popular movies like Thor: The Dark World, it'll be nice to see him continue to grow on The Witcher.
Freya Allan - Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Netflix fans have probably seen the cast of Gunpowder Milkshake in many shows and movies, considering the film is full of notable actors. Freya Allan, who plays Ciri, is one of the many recognizable actors in the film, but in this movie, she plays the younger version of Karen Gillan's character Sam.
Gunpowder Milkshake and The Witcher are some of Allan's biggest projects to date. Allan also has an upcoming horror film titled Baghead, in which fans can probably expect a very different performance from the actor.
Kim Bodnia - Killing Eve (2018-2020)
Before his role as Vesemir on The Witcher, Kim Bodnia was probably most known for playing the part of Konstantin on Killing Eve. He was also on the Netflix show The Letter to the King, which has not yet been renewed for another season.
His role as Konstantin is entirely different from Vesemir, considering he played a major villain on Killing Eve. In The Witcher, he's a loyal ally to Geralt and is known to always give good advice in the books and games. Considering Vesemir's importance in The Witcher lore, fans can certainly expect to see more from him in coming seasons.
Joey Batey - Knightfall (2017-2018)
Those who watch the History channel might recognize Joey Batey from his role as Pierre in Knightfall, which was about the Knights Templar in the 14th century. Joey Batey has seemed to find his footing in period pieces, considering he's also set to appear in an upcoming show about Billy The Kid.
Joey Batey plays the comedic Jaskier on The Witcher, while his role on Knightfall is much more serious. His character Pierre is a spy who's trying to uncover more information about the Holy Grail.
Anya Chalotra - The ABC Murders (2018)
Anya Chalotra has appeared on a few different series, but her role as Yennefer on The Witcher is her biggest role by far. She's also recognizable from The ABC Murders, Sherwood, and Wanderlust.
The ABC Murders is an Amazon and BBC series based on the iconic Agatha Christie character, Hercule Poirot. Anya Chalotra isn't the only member of The Witcher cast to star in The ABC Murders, as Eamon Farren also appeared on this show.