The Witcher features a stellar cast, and there’s no doubt that fans have recognized some of
the show's phenomenal actors but, despite their best efforts, can't quite place them.
So let's glance over these performers' past accomplishments and figure out why the cast
of The Witcher looks so familiar.
Monster hunter Geralt of Rivia is portrayed by Henry Cavill, easily the most recognizable
member of the cast.
"How do you like my eyes?"
Cavill began his career in 2001, and he earned worldwide fame by playing the darkest live-action
version of Superman to date, showing up in DCEU films like Man of Steel and Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice.
You might also know him from Mission: Impossible, Fallout and from Showtime's The Tudors.
Fantasy fans might also recognize him from his smaller roles in films like Stardust and
Tristan & Isolde, proving that he can hold his own in a fairy and dragon-infested setting
just as well as on Krypton.
In fact, Cavill admits to loving Andrzej Sapowski's original Witcher novels and to being a big
fan of fantasy since he was very young.
Freya Allan was tapped to play Princess Cirilla, aka Ciri, an on-the-run royal with mysterious,
frightening powers.
Allan herself, though not quite as young as Ciri, is still fairly new to Hollywood, a
fresh face who's proven she has what it takes to have a long career.
Immediately prior to The Witcher, she had a small role in a BBC mini-series adaptation
of The War of the Worlds, and she also briefly showed up Into the Badlands.
Like the young cast of Stranger Things, Allan's Netflix debut is sure to snag her more work
both within the streaming service's original content, as well as in film.
"Who is Yennefer?"
Anya Chalotra, aka the sorceress Yennefer, is fairly new to screen acting.
Her breakout role was in the BBC's Wanderlust, followed by a small part in The ABC Murders.
She's also lent her vocal talents as the lead part of Robin Loxley in the futuristic animated
series Sherwood.
And with such a stunning performance as the witch who wants it all, it will be a pleasure
to see Chalotra continue on to more prominent roles going forward.
Yennefer would never have been able to harness her powers if not for the influence of Tissaia,
the head of a magical academy.
Typically, a character like this would be played as a hateful stepmother stereotype,
but in the very capable hands of MyAnna Buring, Tissaia is as complex, intriguing, and sympathetic
a character as Yennefer herself.
As for Buring, her first super visible role was as Tanya in both parts of The Twilight
Saga: Breaking Dawn.
Her stately manner then graced the set of Downton Abbey as Edna.
Actor Joey Batey brings plenty of plucky charm and a soothing singing voice to the character
of Jaskier, the bard who takes up with Geralt, much to the gruff witcher's dismay.
Before taking up the lute, Batey had small roles in several television series, including
The White Queen, another series featuring strong-willed and powerful women.
Lovers of historical dramas might also recognize him from his recurring role as Pierre on the
History Channel's Knightfall.
The Witcher boasts a cast of extremely powerful and influential women.
And it's hard to get much more powerful and influential than Calanthe, warrior queen of
Cintra.
Calanthe is brought to life by the incomparable Jodhi May, who's no stranger to playing a
queen, having taken up the mantle of Queen Victoria in The Warrior Queen of Jhansi.
She appeared in an episode of Game of Thrones in 2015 as a fortune teller named Maggy, a
small role but interesting to note considering how much The Witcher has been compared to
the HBO fantasy series.
You might also recognize her from her role as Alice Munro in the 1992 adaptation of The
Last of the Mohicans, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
Ah, the mage with the amusing name.
Mousesack is portrayed by Adam Levy, perhaps recognizable to superhero fans from his one-off
role as an alien healer named Amadei in the Supergirl TV series.
Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies may have spotted him in 2018's A Christmas in Royal
Fashion.
He's also been part of his fair share of historical dramas, including A.D.
The Bible Continues and Knightfall with Joey Batey.
To play the conniving mage Stregobor, the showrunners cast Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen,
the brother of Hannibal's Mads Mikkelsen.
Unless you're very familiar with Danish film and television, it's unlikely you've seen
a lot of him.
However, he played the recurring character Viktor Petrov in the very popular Netflix
series House of Cards, and fans of BBC's Sherlock will easily recognize him as Charles Magnussen
from the episodes "His Last Vow" and "The Empty Hearse."
It seems Mikkelsen has a knack for playing sinister types, and his casting as Stregobor
is spot-on in this regard.
The rightful heir of the Nilfgaardian throne, Cahir is a violent, ambitious prince who's
single-mindedly pursuing Ciri to use her mysterious powers for his own ends.
Cahir is portrayed by Eamon Farren, notable for his appearance as Richard Horne on the
most recent season of David Lynch's Twin Peaks.
He also had a recurring role in the first three episodes of BBC's adaptation of Agatha
Christie's The ABC Murders, which featured an appearance by The Witcher co-star Anya
Chalotra, as well.
He also had a role in the eerie drama Winchester, about a maze-like mansion and its strange
owner, played by Helen Mirren.
Dara is played by the young but very talented Wilson Radjou-Pujalte, who's had roles in
several lesser-known television series.
His largest role is easily that of Aladdin in the BBC series Jamillah and Aladdin.
He also has a substantial part in the Nickelodeon series Hunter Street.
And like many British actors, he's found work in a Charles Dickens-inspired series.
In this case, he starred as Dodger in BBC's Dickensian.
Triss Merigold initially seems like a one-off character whose purpose is to hire Geralt
to slay a horrible monster.
Instead, she becomes a more prominent player later in the series.
Triss is played by Anna Shaffer, who kicked off her acting career in a rather impressive
way, playing Romilda Vane in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows.
She was also on the British teen soap opera Hollyoaks for seven years as Ruby Button,
her stint there spanning an impressive 242 episodes.
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