Henry Cavill may have given up his iconic role as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, but the actor will forever remain a fan favorite. However, years before his departure from the franchise, he revealed that his adoration for the series stemmed from his love for the books by Andrzej Sapkowski. While Sapkowski’s work helped him bring the character to life, it was actually the video games that the 40-year-old played with the utmost dedication from which the series took inspiration.

Even though the video games became a huge part of Cavill’s life, before the series blew up, the actor revealed just how much the games would stress him out.

Henry Cavill’s experience with The Witcher games

Back in 2019, Henry Cavill revealed to GQ Magazine that he was an avid gamer and that he absolutely adored The Witcher games. In the interview, Cavill opened up about his first experience with the franchise and revealed that the first game he played was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. After spending hours on the game, he believed that everything would be going well until he got distracted by a phone call or something else that would end up killing him. He recalled the feeling of losing and said, “I’ve just messed up.”

The interview came out one day before the series aired for the first time and gave fans a deeper look into their leading man. However, it showed fans a side they had never seen before. It was the actor’s gamer side that took the world by storm when he revealed that he had completed the developer CD Projekt Red’s 100-hour role-playing epic not once, but twice. He went on to explain how he had begun experimenting with the games to “find the perfect balance of fun and challenge.” as he thought the series would be adapted from the games.

While Henry Cavill “absolutely loved” the franchise, he did not realize that The Witcher series adaptation would be based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski until meeting with the showrunner.

Henry Cavill loved The Witcher games first

In the same interview with GQ, Henry Cavill, revealed that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the creator of The Witcher, was the one who burst his bubble. From the second the star found out that the series was being developed, he tried everything to ensure he would be a part of it. After a quick meeting with the showrunner, he realized that the adaptation would be based on the books and not the games that he loved so much.

While it may have initially come as a surprise, it did not change the fact that he still wanted to land the role. Cavill took it upon himself to complete all the books by Andrzej Sapkowski to get into Geralt’s shoes. Though it was definitely a lot of reading, it helped the star dive more into the character and give his fans the iconic Geralt of Rivia that they all knew and loved. While his run as the White Wolf has come to an end, fans will soon see the star in an unconventional romantic film.

What do you think about Henry Cavill’s struggles with The Witcher video games? Let us know in the comments below.