Remember Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones, one of the most important warriors of the Free Folk? While many have disputing views about the show’s ending, the one universal thing they can agree upon is Kristofer Hivju certainly nailed the look of a wild man. Faring well in the role of a wild man, creators of the Witcher deemed him ideal for playing the role of Nivellen and the decision couldn’t have been better!

Kristofer Hivju

Standing 1.83 m tall (for our American readers: slightly taller than 6ft), Hivju certainly seems the man for playing the role of a wild man and subsequently, a beast. The actor boasts a brash voice and a physique that fully attests to this. 

Hivju has also played the role of Connor Rhodes in The Fate of the Furious and has appeared in titles like Beck, Twin, and The Last King. Fans will see more of him in the upcoming movie Distant.

The story of Nivellen- the perfect start to The Witcher 2

The first episode of The Witcher season 2 starts with a grim note as Geralt and Ciri find a village abandoned. But Nivellen, Geralt’s old friend, is there to save the day. Though his physical appearance suggests a person of monstrous nature, the man charms Geralt, Ciri, and the viewers with his self-effacing nature. 

He cracks jokes, makes Ciri comfortable, and looks like an overall good person with no ill intentions. All of that drastically changes by the end of the episode. 

We learn a priestess cursed Nivellen, but that resulted from his committing the worst misdeed of all- rape. Fans sympathized with him when he said that he lived in solitude for years, but also that he brought it upon himself. Viewers watch Vereena suck his blood and gradually gain control of him but we also know that he ignored the death of innocents that she was causing. At long last, we watch Nivellen transform into a human from the physical form of a monster, but we come to know of his monstrous deeds when he does so. 

Kristofer Hivju portrayed Nivellen in the Netflix Original in a manner that no one else could have.