'The Witcher' director revealed the reason for Henry Cavill's departure after three seasons

By: Tetiana Honcharenko | 21.08.2023, 20:47

"The Witcher" director Marc Jobst, who directed several episodes of the first season, has shared his thoughts on Henry Cavill's departure from the Netflix show. The actor, who played Geralt of Rivia for three seasons, has hung up his sword as a monster hunter, ready to make way for Liam Hemsworth in the fourth season of The Witcher.

Here's What We Know

Addressing Cavill's departure, Jobst shared his perspective: "Look, Henry has done three series, these are demanding shows to make, you know, they are huge"," he said before beginning work on the new animated adaptation of "One Piece."

"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".

"So, normally, what you do is you bring in a double, Henry will go off and shoot some other scene in which he's in somewhere else, and you get somebody else into the hand, so that you don't have to bother your number one. Henry won't do that, and as a result of that, the results are extraordinary. You're working with an incredible athlete, first and foremost, who works out hours before, and hours after, you've been shooting for 12 hours, and who cares deeply about the work that he does."

Jobst mentioned some of the epic scenes in which Cavill was instrumental, including the unforgettable fight in Blaviken in season one. The director said the actor often worked non-stop to make the scenes look their best.

"That's draining on your number one, so after three series, I feel, 'Okay, he's brought the show into being, and if he feels like he's done what he can, I trust him",'" the director adds. "That focus that he has, that desire to get it right, is a gift to work with because it elevates everybody to say, 'Good enough isn't good enough. It's got to be fantastic".

While Cavill has not provided a concrete reason for his departure from the show, there have been many rumours. However, his filming partner, Anya Chalotra, has refuted talk that it was due to a disagreement off-screen. Ahead of Hemsworth joining the show, his filming partners have spoken about how he has fully immersed himself in his role, with one producer noting that he looks "amazing" in the role of Geralt.