Netflix’s The Witcher series fills out its cast, including two female leads
By Corey Smith
Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher is picking up steam. The show has already cast Henry Cavill, cinema’s Superman, as lead character Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter, or witcher. The Hollywood Reporter has it that the show has now cast two important parts: Anya Chalotra will play Yennefer, Geralt’s on-again, off-again sorceress love interest; and Freya Allan will play Ciri, a princess of Cintra and Geralt’s ward.
Both of these characters are vital to the story of The Witcher, and will be familiar to fans of both fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and the video game series from CD Projekt Red. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich was thrilled to welcome the actors on board:
I couldn't be more thrilled about our ever-growing #Witcher family. Anya, Freya, and the rest of this jaw-dropping cast will slay monsters, your hearts, and everything else we put in front of them. https://t.co/gHkhf1mQlw
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) October 10, 2018
The rest of the cast is filling out, too. Jodhi May (Maggy the Frog on Game of Thrones) will play Queen Calanthe; Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson will play her husband Eist; Adam Levy is on board as the druid Mousesack; MyAnna Buring is the head of the magical academy at Aretuza, Tissaia; and Millie Brady will play the outcast Princess Renfri.
Hissrich also discussed the show more generally, which is hotly anticipated by many fans.
"The fervor around it took me by surprise at first, frankly. I had been on Twitter since 2013, but when I first stuck my neck out I was surprised with the response. It’s something I feel really strongly about right now. I’m in this position to peel back the curtain a tiny bit to show people the process of making television. I wanted people to understand that I’m not trying to make this property my own or put my stamp on it, or make an American or female vision of it, or any specific vision of it. I just wanted people to know that I really respected the material."
As for the casting choices, Hissrich said that she wasn’t looking to cast anyone in particular, so long as they’re right for the part.
"We’re looking for the best actors for these roles. Period. End of story. It comes down to the best actor for the role. Henry [Cavill]’s obviously a big fan of the franchise. We met in early April and had a very general meeting. I then went off and met with hundreds of other candidates for Geralt and never really got Henry out of my mind. In casting Anya and Freya, the cool thing was we were open to anyone and both of them, to me, embody the spirits of the characters."
And when will The Witcher debut? “We’re in prep. It’s coming up soon.” Looking forward to it.
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels