The Witcher star Anya Chalotra has shared her opinion about Liam Hemsworth replacing former lead star Henry Cavill in the next season of the show.
Last year, it was announced that Cavill, who received critical praise as main character Geralt of Rivia in the hit Netflix fantasy series, would be leaving after the third season.
The latest instalment of The Witcher, which is released this week, will be the last to feature the Man of Steel actor, 40.
In a new interview withVariety, Cavill’s co-star Chalotra revealed that the cast didn’t know about Cavill’s exit from the show “until after we’d filmed season three”.
“And it’s always emotional filming at the end of any season – you know, that last scene you do with the people that you’ve worked with for eight months,” she said. “It’s always like, ‘Aw,’ but you live in that moment. And we didn’t know till post filming.
Chalotra, who has played the role of Yennefer of Vengerberg since season one, also said that the whole cast felt the loss of Cavill leaving.
“He’s been with us since day one,” she said. “We’ve been through a lot together. It’s been five years of not only this world that we have in The Witcher, but Covid – all these things that we’ve gone through together, and it’s a strong bond.
“But with anything we do it comes to an end. Henry is moving on from this, and that’s really exciting. We’ve had a wonderful five years with him, and I’m excited for new energy to come in as well.
Speaking of Hemsworth’s casting, Chalotra said: “Liam will be brilliant, I’m sure. I haven’t spoken to him yet – well, I have spoken to him but I haven’t met him. So yeah, I’m excited for that.”
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Earlier this week, The Witcher’s executive producer Steve Gaub also addressed Cavill’s replacement.
“I think, holistically, Henry gave us an incredible three seasons of Geralt but there’s been so many franchises that have had really strong title characters and eventually, for whatever reason, personal decision or, or just the length of time frame, the title character changes actors,” he told Radio Times.
“But you always have the strength of the property to lean into and we’re trusting that the world of The Witcher, the continent, the IP (intellectual property) itself is what is drawing a lot of fans.”
Gaub said that the team is “really excited about what Liam can give us as a Geralt, much like there’s been different James Bonds, different Doctor Whos, different Spider-Mans.
“We’re now one of those properties and we aim to serve the property right and continue on with a really strong Geralt.”
The third season of The Witcher is available on Netflix from 29 June.
