Henry Cavill Left The Witcher Because There Was Too Much Work?
It’s been a wild time to be a Henry Cavill fan as the actor bid adieu to his popular roles in both the DC Extended Universe as well as on Netflix’s series adaptation of The Witcher. While drama and speculation have followed the star’s exit from both roles, a new interview with one of the fantasy series’ directors sheds new light on the situation. In an interview with Screen Rant, Marc Jobst describes a “demanding” and “draining” environment during the show’s first three seasons.
Henry Cavill’s drive to film every piece in The Witcher no matter how small made his time on set double.
As fans will know, Henry Cavill’s dedication to the original The Witcher novel series runs deep, with Jobst revealing that his commitment to the role was no different. “Henry does every single beat of his stunts,” Jobst said in his interview, adding that even a scene with such a little moment as “a hand grabbing a sword” had to be done by the leading man. Starting on this fact alone, Cavill’s heart and soul were all-in on the production, meaning that his energy was as well.
As Jobst explained, these up close shots, say of a hand or something else, would usually be performed by a stand-in so that the star (in this case Henry Cavill) could continue to work on another scene.
During the first season alone, the cast and crew traveled to four different countries for filming. Henry Cavill needed to adjust to his new surroundings before even thinking about jumping in on stunt training for The Witcher.
Henry Cavill’s drive to film every piece in The Witcher no matter how small made his time on set double. Meanwhile, the director shared the actor’s strict workout regimen which would see him at the gym both before and after what would be 12-hour filming days. We’re exhausted just thinking about it!
And then, there’s the travel aspect of the series. Jobst revealed that during the first season alone, he traveled to four different countries for filming. What was tiring enough for him, he suspects, was far worse for Henry Cavill who needed to adjust to his new surroundings before even thinking about jumping in on stunt training for The Witcher.
Reminiscing on the massive sword fight in the show’s premiere episode, Jobst says that the weapons were “heavy,” and that those wielding them needed to be incredibly careful of their mass. Revealing that the cameraman had his own obstacles with learning the choreography, Jobst says it was ten-fold for Henry Cavill who rehearsed the sequence in The Witcher for an entire month.
“Well, look, Henry has done three series, these are demanding shows to make, you know, they are huge. Henry does every single beat of his stunts, he won’t even allow a hand, if you’re doing a close up of a hand grabbing a sword, it has to be his hand.“
Marc Jobst
Essentially, Jobst is driving home the idea that from the very beginnings of Henry Cavill’s days as Geralt of Rivia on The Witcher, things were tiring. Noting that the star “brought the show into being,” the director says that he’s sure Cavill is making the correct decision by stepping down after three seasons. Describing Cavill’s “desire to get it right,” Jobst knows that now is the right time for the actor’s stint on The Witcher to come to an end.
The third season, and Henry Cavill’s final run as Geralt of Rivia on Netflix’s The Witcher, bowed out almost a month ago. From here, The Hunger Games franchise star, Liam Hemsworth will pick up the character, his sword, and all the responsibility that comes with it. As for Cavill, with the actor being ousted from his role as Superman (at least for now), he’s moving on to other productions, including the elusive spy flick, Argylle, and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
