Henry Cavill and his portrayal of the grumpy, emotionally restrained, and morally gray protagonist, Geralt, has been a standout role for him. While fan opinions on The Witcher may differ, there is unanimous agreement that Cavill brought Geralt to life like no one else could. Andrzej Sapkowski, the creator of the Witcher tale, has been consistently appreciative of Cavill since the show’s very beginning. Shortly after the premiere of Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s The Witcher, Sapkowski detailed his thoughts on Cavill’s rendition of the Geralt. 

The author also drew a comparison between Cavill and a highly acclaimed actor who breathed life into the protagonist of an Academy Award-winning film.

Andrej Sapkowski on Henry Cavill’s Geralt in The Witcher 

Andrzej Sapkowski sat for an exclusive interview with People, where he shared his views on the Netflix show that had just premiered. Sapkowski was “more than happy” to have Henry Cavill on board to play Geralt. The author said Cavill was a “real professional”. Sapkowski then went on to draw a parallel between Henry Cavill and Viggo Mortensen. As per the Polish writer, Cavill portrayed Geralt with the same dedication that Mortensen brought to Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings.

The fact that The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones are Sapkowski’s top favorite franchises speaks volumes about his fondness for Cavill in the Netflix show. The 75-year-old also talked about the deviation of The Witcher from the original sources. He admitted that the Netflix series was not keeping up with the book series. And interestingly, Cavill had a similar opinion about the show, which came to light with a year-old interview. 

The showrunner, Hissrich, once shed light on Henry Cavill’s dedication to sticking to the original sources. 

Henry Cavill wanted to stay loyal to Andrej Sapkowski’s books 

Part of the reason why Henry Cavill was so dedicated to clinching a role in The Witcher franchise was because he was a die-hard fan of the fantasy himself. Cavill has been an ardent follower of The Witcher book series and games. Therefore, he put a lot of emphasis on sticking to the primary material and even sent Geralt’s original dialogues from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books to Hissrich, as per Hissrich’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 

In a 2021 interview with Collider, Cavill clearly stated that he “wanted to represent as much of a book-accurate Geralt as possible”. When Cavill announced his exit from the franchise, fans speculated a creative difference between the makers and the British actor. However, unlike Cavill’s active involvement in urging the makers to stick to the sources, Sapkowski chose not to “interfere” in the show. 

What are your thoughts on Andrzej Sapkowski’s interview? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!