The Witcher star Freya Allan is a little worried about Liam Hemsworth joining the cast following Henry Cavill’s exit.
“I don’t want to speak for [Liam], but from what I’ve understood, I feel like he’s really wanting to try and bring the heart,” Allan, 22, told Collider on Saturday, May 4, referring to Hemsworth, 34, taking over Cavill’s character Geralt of Rivia in season 4 of the Netflix series. “He’s been training. I feel sorry for him, honestly, because, number one, that fan base can be very attack-y, and it’s not an ideal situation to be in taking up someone else’s role.”
Although Allan, who has appeared as Ciri in The Witcher since 2019, is worried how the fan base will react to Hemsworth, she is “excited” to see what he brings to the series.
“He’s such a lovely guy. I just hope that people give him the time of day, you know?” she shared with the outlet.
Cavill, 41, announced in October 2022 that Hemsworth would be taking over his character of Geralt in The Witcher, a Netflix series that is based on the adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series and video game franchise.
“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” he explained in a statement at the time. “In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literacy characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”
Hemsworth, for his part, said he was “over the moon about the opportunity” as he’s been a big fan of The Witcher franchise for a long time.
“Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honored that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure,” he said in an October 2022 statement. “Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world.”
Cavill made his final appearance as Geralt in the season 3 finale of The Witcher, which aired in July 2023. In April, creator and showrunner Lauren Schmidt announced that season 4 of the series was finally in production – and that the show was renewed for a fifth season as well.
“It is with huge pride that we begin shooting our penultimate season of The Witcher with a stellar cast, including some exciting new additions, led by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia,” Schmidt, 45, told Netflix in a statement at the time. “We’re thrilled to bring Andrzej Sapkowski’s books to an epic and satisfying conclusion. It wouldn’t be our show if we didn’t push our family of characters to their absolute limit – stay tuned to see how the story ends.”
