Henry Cavill has proven his dedication to playing Geralt of Rivia in Netflix‘s The Witcher. Director Marc Jobst explained the actor does every single one of his stunts, making him a bonafide athlete.
The White Wolf is a force to be reckoned with and is a skilled swordsman and fighter. To cross his path would mean death. To bring the legendary witcher to life, Cavill did what he does best: trained and did stunt work.
His determination to do the books and series justice even resulted in a torn hamstring while filming Season 2. Fans have seen behind-the-scenes videos of Cavill going through sword choreography.
But the actor has hung up his sword, leaving Liam Hemsworth to take on the role after Season 3. Jobst explained that a possible reason Cavill left The Witcher was due to the extreme demand of the stuntwork.
Marc Jobst said Henry Cavill rarely used a stuntman in The Witcher
Wielding a heavy metal sword for hours of filming couldn’t have been easy. The Witcher has gained praise from fans for its dynamic fight sequences on Cavill’s behalf. It would make sense as Geralt is described as one of the best swordsmen and fighters. Speaking to Screen Rant, Jobst said Cavill did all of the on-screen fights and is an “athlete” because of it.
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“Henry does every single beat of his stunts, he won’t even allow a hand, if you’re doing a close-up of a hand grabbing a sword, it has to be his hand,” explained Jobst. Typically, a series would bring in a stunt double to fulfill some of the work while the lead actor would do scenes at another location.
“Henry won’t do that, and as a result of that, the results are extraordinary. You’re working with an incredible athlete, first and foremost, who works out hours before, and hours after, you’ve been shooting for 12 hours, and who cares deeply about the work that he does,” praised Jobst. In the series pilot, when Renfri and Geralt battle, Cavill had practiced the sequence for four weeks. The director explained the swords are not sharp, but extremely heavy. One wrong move could cause an injury.
Knowing the hard work Cavill put behind every scene, episode, and season, Jobst trusted the actor’s decision to leave The Witcher behind. Its safe to say that the work Cavill did to bring the series to life left big shoes to fill for Hemsworth.
You can read more about what can be expected after The Witcher Season 3 finale here, and what we know about Season 4 here.