Marc Jobst, the director who helmed two episodes of Netflix's fantasy series The Witcher, recently shared his thoughts on Henry Cavill's exit from the show.
After three well-received seasons as Geralt of Rivia, Cavill has stepped down, with Liam Hemsworth announced as the new Geralt for Season 4. In an interview with Screen Rant, Jobst praised Cavill's dedication and athleticism, stating, “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.”
“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," he added. "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 further talking about their journey together said, “I came in on the first season, and we were shooting in four different countries. That's taking the whole entourage into different places, learning the stunts, rehearsing the stunts. When we were shooting the swordfight, for example, in the pilot, that's a big one-shot sequence, and they're heavy swords. They're not sharp, but they're heavy, so if you get them wrong, you can seriously damage somebody.”
He further added, “We had a camera operator come into the show, and I think he was rehearsing that fight sequence for four weeks. Just the camera operator working, learning the dance of the fight, so that he can make sure the camera's in the right place in order to land the hit without having to make a cut. And then, of course, moving into the second part of that sword fight, which is Renfri, where we stopped the fight from time to time to get the eye contact between the two of them, to get the sense of whether they're going to kiss or they're going to kill.”
"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 concluded. "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.' We all want to work like that, we all don't wanna make something that's good, we want to make something incredible."
Henry Cavill Says Goodbye to Geralt and Superman Simultaneously
Cavill's exit from The Witcher is being linked to his return to the DC Extended Universe as Superman in Black Adam, though plans were later altered. As for how The Witcher ended Cavill's run, the final moments of Season 3 Part 2 depicted Geralt's victory in an intense battle against Nilfgaardian soldiers. Despite speculation about a possible magical or multiversal explanation to ease the transition to Hemsworth, the series did not directly address Cavill's departure. Fans are left to wonder how season 4 will approach this significant change.
Jobst's understanding and appreciation of Cavill's hard work undoubtedly resonate with fans who admire the actor's dedication. However, the series now faces some serious challenges. Season 3 of The Witcher saw a dip in audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes to 19%, only slightly better than the miniseries spinoff Blood Origin's 13%. Some of this dissatisfaction appears to stem from deviations from the original source material, and Cavill's exit has further complicated the situation.
Source: Screen Rant