Henry Cavill’s The Witcher co-stars reveal why his Season 3 goodbye hurts so much

The first episodes of Season 3 of The Witcher have been streaming on Netflix since June 29th. And Henry Cavill’s farewell as Geralt of Rivia is fast approaching. Not only the fans, but above all his co-stars from the fantasy series will miss him after five years of working together.

To mark the Netflix launch of Season 3, we caught up with The Witcher stars Freya Allan, Joey Batey and Anya Chalotra for an interview and asked them about their most beautiful Memories of the time together with Henry Cavill asked.

The Witcher family breaks up after Season 3: What Henry Cavill’s colleagues will miss the most

“That’s the situation now“, says Ciri actress Freya Allan with a slight disappointment in her voice about Henry Cavill’s sudden departure and the huge challenge of continuing the Netflix series without him. Because from season 4 Liam Hemsworth will take over his part.

The witcher family breaks up. First at least behind the camera and in season 3 part 2 possibly also in front of the camera. That hurts. Even more painful is the thought that Henry Cavill’s departure was only announced after filming was completed and his colleagues were denied a proper farewell on set.

“He gave me so much incredible advice and was always there“, remembers Anya Chalotra, who plays the sorceress Yennefer von Vengerberg. After minor supporting roles in the British series Wanderlust and The ABC Murders, The Witcher was her first major project, through which she became internationally known. Henry Cavill was not just a “important part of this series“, but also the launch of her career. In future seasons, she will now have to do without the co-star who started it all: “I miss him much“.

When The Witcher star Freya Allan plays Ciri, she always sees Henry Cavill

Also for the now 21-year-old Freya Allan, the acting career began with The Witcher and Henry Cavill. “It’s the moments when we gave each other support“, she recalls working with the Hollywood star, who always made sure to create a collaborative and safe working environment. But looking at Season 3, one thing was special:

Fighting with him this year has been an amazing experience. He obviously excels at what he does in the stunt world. He has a lot of experience with it. And doing that with him was something very special.

Looking to the future of the series, a reunion between Ciri and Geralt – whether in Season 4 or later – will lose some of the magic. After all, the actors worked for five years to develop the chemistry between their characters. Freya Allan cannot deny that either: “When I play Ciri I always have a certain face in mind. So it will be very strange when we meet again and the face is different.“

Joey Batey will miss the endless inside gags with Henry Cavill

Another member of the Witcher family is the bard Dandelion, played by Joey Batey, who developed a very special dynamic with the grumpy Geralt of Rivia since Season 1. Not only in front of the camera, but also behind the camera connects him a special friendship with Henry Cavill:

On particularly busy days, we often reach out to each other and ask, ‘Are you okay? Everything OK?’ Then we joke about it. This is how we support each other. Those are the kind of moments that will stick in my memory and will be missed.

Of course, as viewers, we only get to see the special moments between the characters within the series. For the actors, it’s often the time when the cameras aren’t rolling that binds them together and sticks in their memories. As Joey Batey explains:

Henry and I just recently reminisced over a glass of whiskey over lunch. To be honest, it’s the little moments away from the cameras. Little looks or jokes we make. The endless inside gags from five years working together. But also the sensitivity that we both have for each other. Henry is a very conscientious person. He is always in the here and now. He notices things that other people don’t notice. And I’d like to believe that I do too.

The reasons behind Henry Cavill’s departure from Netflix production are not yet known. We probably won’t find out in the near future either. But one thing is certain: None of his The Witcher colleagues are bitter after the decision. Or as Anya Chalotra sums it up: “I’m honestly excited to see what his journey will look like in the future. Everything must come to an end.“

When is The Witcher Season 3 Part 2 coming to Netflix?

The Witcher Season 3 will be released in two parts on Netflix. Issue 1 with a total of 5 episodes has been available on Netflix since June 29, 2023. The remaining three episodes will be released on July 27, 2023.

After that, a long wait begins for fans. The 4th season of The Witcher has already been ordered, but it is far from being shot. We should not expect a start before 2025. Only then will we find out if The Witcher can function without Henry Cavill and how Liam Hemsworth fares as the new Geralt.

Not just The Witcher: July’s 20 best series launches on Netflix and more

Need more fresh streaming tips? You can find the most exciting July series that you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more here in the monthly preview:

We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and present you the 20 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast stream trawl. There are three big fantasy returnees on Netflix and Amazon as well as a sci-fi epic that hardly anyone knows. In addition to insider tips, there is also a reunion with Futurama and Sylvester Stallone’s own reality show.