Netflix's The Witcher: Who Is Geralt of Rivia? – IGN First

When we first encountered Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia on the set of Netflix’s The Witcher series in Budapest, there were no massive green screens or charging hordes of enemy combatants. Instead, Cavill stood stoically near a riverbed, accompanied by his horse, Roach, and the bard Jaskier (Joey Batey) — also known as Dandelion in the games and English translations of the novels. Before embarking on our journey to the Continent, we had already devoured Andrzej Sapkowski’s books and played hundreds of hours of The Witcher video game franchise, and it was truly surreal to see Cavill’s Geralt out in the wild.With his trusty steed by his side, ashen hair, pale skin, and signature Wolf medallion clasped around his neck, Geralt was brought to life before our eyes. At times, it was easy to forget that we were looking at Cavill, which is a credit to the Netflix show’s costume and makeup departments. For those of you uninitiated in Witcher mythology, Cavill shared his interpretation of what the titular character’s line of work is all about.

The Witcher: Season 1 Gallery

“A Witcher is a mutated human,” Cavill explained. “[Geralt was] taken into a place called Kaer Morhen — the Witcher school of The Wolf — as a very young boy where he was abandoned. He underwent alchemical trials there, survived more than your average Witcher, became a rather special Witcher, and [has had] a very harsh life since.”

Those “alchemical trials” that Cavill mentions are known as The Trial of the Grasses, a gruesome ritual that all young Witcher apprentices must go through. Many of the youngsters (3 out of 10) do not survive and die painful deaths as a result of the trials. Those who do make it through are rewarded with heightened senses and cat-like eyes. When we first bumped into Cavill on set, his enhanced eyes gleamed a menacing yellow, and even though we knew they were just contacts, his appearance was a bit startling.

Watch the video below to find out the correct order you should read The Witcher books in before the series debuts on Netflix: At 6’2,” and still sporting a Superman-worthy physique, Cavill looks poised to take on the worst of the Continent’s monsters and evil-doers. But don’t let Geralt’s cold stare and dual swords fool you. Cavill assures us that while many people on the Continent believe that Witchers are emotionless killers as a result of the mutations they undergo as kids, that particular rumor couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The rumors about Witchers are that they don’t have emotions,” Cavill said. “And that is perpetuated by [the Witchers], they deliberately push that out there, so when they negotiate, they can drive a hard bargain. Because whoever they’re negotiating with believes they have no emotions, so they can’t appeal to a [Witcher’s] softer nature. Ironically for Geralt, he is no different. He has emotions, very much so. [Geralt] has built a wall up around his heart.”

For more on Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, be sure to watch the full interview at the top of the page and tune in all month for more exclusive IGN First coverage of Netflix’s The Witcher.

David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

source: ign.com