How Netflix butchered The Witcher books - casting

Netflix has been butchering The Witcher books since the first season so I want to go through all the things they've ruined. In this video I'll focus specifically on casting.
#thewitcher #netflix #henrycavill

[@KingNazaru]

I’m really sick of this show race swapping and sexuality swapping these characters.

[@EjecutivoTelvanni1826]

Me on my way to re-read the books while pretending the Netflix show doesn't exist. Great video as always man.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Thank you ❤️

[@takabaierun]

second!

[@Brian-uq4wu]

I am the last person on earth who hasn't played the witcher games, but the longer I wait, the more the franchise is painted in vomit by the show for me

[@amymonroe9328]

I want to read the books BECAUSE I've heard so much how Netflix changed the books. I want to learn what I've been missing

[@zxr-ok5lw]

​@@amymonroe9328 Its a beautiful story in my opinion. Only books iv ever read because there the only ones that actually grabed me. What netflix has done is just upsetting. Hope you enjoy them to.

[@DeadDave]

The diversity hires are just hysterically bad in this. How the actors can be happy with their roles when it's obvious they were only hired for their diversity is beyond me.

[@tm6569]

Because it’s their first shot at acting so they’re happy to take anything

[@tm6569]

Also they likely don’t know the source material

[@erinavery4577]

Tokens

[@dannyavery5578]

Happy to take that Wokeflix £. I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Wahlberg get cast as Martin Luther King.

[@verenamenzel8958]

one day they would make snowwhite black

[@LouPhonze]

Honestly it really pains me what they did to my boy Cahir, who's supposed to be the heroic knight in shining armor in the books

[@alaia-awakened]

The actor for Cahir annoys me to no end. The weird writing, the weird relationships, the horrible costumes, he’s one of the characters that gets it the worst.

[@mr.j8356]

I agree so much. Cahir was such a big part of geralts journey and a part of his character development.

[@sydney33thomas]

@@alaia-awakened Nah Cahir's actor is actually great (Eamon Farren), it's the writing who is pretty bad, like for the rest of the characters, their development and relationship is not accurate to the source material. The casting is not that bad honestly, but the characters in the show does not fit the ones in the books.

[@cochoseable]

The Witcher on Netflix feels like los angeles. They could easily have taken the risk of hiring polish actors, and even injecting some eastern european "diversity" (cause yeah, diversity isn't just a color palette) and have some Serbs, Germans, Balts etc... and make it work. The most painful about this whole thing is imagining the series we didn't have.

[@HSG4meR]

Although I like Henry portraying more like the game Geralt, I couldn't help myself to feel excited imagining a show better produced, with Henry as producer, and the cast you picked. That'd probably be one of the best shows we would've seen.

[@celesteyar27]

Unfortunately, Henry's off producing a screen adaptation of the Warhammer 40K franchise for Amazon, so he has washed his hands of the Witcher.

[@Synthia17]

I love how the fake Ciri in the show looks more accurate to the book Ciri than the "real" one. Also damn, I threw the terrible Foltest out of my mind, he was done so perfect in the games, I was actually shocked because that's exactly how I imagined him when reading. I noticed that all the royalty is portrayed terribly, all of the kings are either bufoons, morons or pigs while Calanthe was a savage "strong female character who needs no man", I fear for Meve who already looked terrible in the tiny scenes she was in, Vizimir and his son, sorry, I mean brother are both a joke. So are all the sorceresses, who were casted and act as the exact opposite of what was shown in the books.

[@TheMuseSway]

Leftest writers have this complex. Eat the Rich/ Elite. They subconsciously sabatage Queens, Kings, Nobles, people of power oddly enough while trying to strive to be one themselves. It's was an ideological move and I agree with the content creator on this. Since he has an incestuous relationship with his sister they wanted the viewers to detest him. I find this funny, cause people's hypocrisy became obvious when they hated Cersei/Jamie but was all okay with HOD and Jon and Daenerys which of course is, incestuous. XD I'm not a fan of Cersei/Jamie but I understand how it came to be.

[@pelinalwhitestrake3367]

Damn lib-lefts!

[@user-qj9en1kp1m]

I think the reason why people like Henry Cavill as Geralt, because they could see how passionate he was about the games and the source material.

[@reavenMAG]

I love how this shallow "diversity" actually killed Tea and Vea, they were unique and intriguing for everybody in the books because of their skin color. In the series you don't have a single fucking clue what's so unique about them.

[@epsilonfallen5830]

I feel like Henry Cavill would have made a good Cahir. They both have dark hair and blue eyes and Cahir is a nobleman/knight from Nilfgaard, so it would make sense for him to be well build and handsome.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Yeah, that could actually be even better role than Foltest for him.

[@avad8868]

Yes Cahir would've woked

[@graylykan2739]

I like how the video games had more book-accurate depictions of the characters than a $318.7 million TV show.

[@parheliaa]

Not to excuse many moronic casting decisions from this show, and all diversity bullshit, but it is much easier to change the features of a rendered figure than find a fitting actor.

[@ladypeahen8829]

I need to mention another important thing, that games messed up - Ciri is described as a quite plain-looking kid. Yen nicknamed her "Ugly One"... Yes, her eyes is impresive green, but her hair are more boring ash-blond than unnaturaly grayish white. Before she has her scar, she wasn´t suposed to be recognisible on first sight everywhere she appeared. There is a scene in the Blood of Elves, when Yen didn´t allow her to wear make up for people didn´t notice or memorized her.

[@exiogloupanagiotis7318]

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was my first choice for Geralt, but I must confess that Henry, even though he's too handsome for the role, won me over. Now, I don't want to get toxic by dissing the rest of the casting choices, which were for the most part abysmal, so I'll write a few good words about the castings that I did like. Freya Allan did a good job as Ciri, in my opinion, although I agree that she looked too old for the part by season 2. Kim Bodnia would have been a perfect Vesemir had he not been massacred by a terrible script, and the same goes for the actor who played Jasker/Dandelion who was plagued by typical Hollywood jokes about "bloated biceps" etc. And I must confess that I have a crush on MyAnna Buring since her Ripper Street days - she's so beautiful, elegant and classy, and I think she pulled off a great Tissaia De Vries. Last but not least, Janet Montgomery from the Salem series is the answer to the question about the perfect Yen casting.

[@tymondabrowski12]

Tissaia's portrayal shows exactly the elegance and appearance sorceresses should have, and what Yennefer lacks in the show (and Triss too - I mean sure she's a bit less intimidating or... formal, but she should be the top 0.1% pretty just like all the others).

[@dinkidink5912]

Can anyone imagine the Netflix Fringilla seducing Geralt the way she does in the books? 🤣 I have to give S1 some credit as being completely new to The Witcher I really enjoyed it and it inspired me to read the books, of course the more I read the more I realised where the TV show went wrong. I pretty much agree with all you've said here, even Henry Cavill as Geralt just really doesn't fit, I mean I could easily look past that if the show was faithful to the books but alas it has completely disrespected the source material.

[@emmanuel1337]

I agree with pretty much everything you said, besides one thing: Yes, Geralt isn't supposed to look like a bodybuilder, but I think you're also underestimating how muscular he'd be. I'd say the ideal body for him and witchers in general would be like the guys that do natty calisthenics -- the muscles aren't unnaturally large, but still pretty developed and the level of definition is extremely high, which means TW3's body isn't far off, and maybe in rougher times he could be even leaner, since he's often underfed and stuff. All of that still fits the description. This is obviously more of a general, quick way of describing a witcher physique, since their training wouldn't really result in exactly the body that the calisthenics guys have -- witchers probably wouldn't work the muscle groups as well and evenly, but given their mutant constitution, special diet and rough, practical training and whatnot, I'd say it isn't far fetched at all that they would reach similar outcomes overall. That being said, Zach MacGowan's body would be perfect for the role. Maybe he's still too pretty face-wise, but since it isn't in the very conventional way, like Henry and Liam are (his facial proportions are a little uncommon), it could still work. He always was my favorite pick, though I'm certain there's some unknown actor out there that would fit better.

[@cheeks7050]

Agree, they have to have muscle. It would be ludicrous to be a fighter and be small/weak. It should just be lanky muscle like Usain Bolt rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[@mikulik86]

Yes, because Zach MacGowan is "rather skinny and full of sinew".

[@emmanuel1337]

@@mikulik86 Yes, he is. "Rather skinny" means skinny to some extent, and that is true -- he doesn't have gigantic muscles or is fat -- and being sinewy means low body fat, be it with considerable muscle definition or not, and he (and logically Geralt, given his activities) is the former. Both English and Brazilian Portuguese translations account for a body such as MacGowan's, but I don't know about the original Polish. Maybe there they use words that are more precise and rule some stuff out.

[@chrisdiokno5600]

@@cheeks7050 Yeah to me, Witchers would have more athletic builds. They'd be sleek, but still muscular. They wouldn't be jacked, but they'd still have strength

[@cheeks7050]

@@chrisdiokno5600 Agree

[@adamp6320]

I can excuse Henry's casting even though I agree with your points for purely commercial reasons - the show needed a big name draw and Henry was it; the fans accepted it because they know Henry loves the source material (unlike Netflix's terrible show runners) and because of the W3 portrayal of Geralt as buff and handsome.

[@EmeraldEyes1776]

The thought of having Cavill take over as a producer of a Witcher series restarted from scratch would be a dream come true. I know he has said playing Geralt was a dream role for him, but I do understand the criticisms of him looking too attractive compared to his book description. I don't even want to get started on the sorceresses because none of them were cast well and I agree that Ciri's actress looks way too old. If the show was based on the game canon maybe she could work but it's not (though tbf this series was always The Witcher in name only; the show runner and writers always intended to make whatever they wanted and slap the name The Witcher on it for the recognition but I digress). I do not understand the insistence of making shows/movies based off of medieval high fantasy stories have a cast that looks like downtown LA. Why does something from the middle ages always have to have a cast that looks like the modern day? Seriously, Sapkowski clearly took inspiration from medieval Europe with the Northern Kingdoms. There's a lot of Slavic (obviously since he's Polish) and Germanic influence as well as Anglo, Welsh, Celtic, Scandinavian and French mixed into the descriptions of the cultures of the different kingdoms and characters. The elder speech is based off the Welsh language, the elves themselves are a mixture of different European folklore, I could go on for hours and I haven't even finished the books yet.

[@SalvationCode]

Henry Cavill as Geralt is definitely the best thing to happen to this show. Him being muscular and too pretty really isn't an issue. Of course, he was channeling Doug Cockle quite a bit. Because, like a lot of us, he was someone who was introduced to the series through the games, then went back and read the books. And there's nothing wrong with that. The fact that he was able to deliver a really good Geralt performance while basically wrestling with writing decisions almost every step of the way is pretty amazing. Makes me wonder about the performance we could've gotten if him and the writing team were on the same page when it comes to Geralt's dialogue.

[@mikelw3734]

Yep! Your right! I don't know why he thinks Henry is the wrong person! In my opinion ALL others are even worse! Besides 2 other chars... Yennefer, Triss, Fringilla, Dandelion and some other of this "blackwashed" or other "gendered" idots are so awfull, IT HURTS! If you don't like the books, don't write stories for movies! Americans... unvelievable...

[@alesdrobek2512]

@@mikelw3734 I have mad respect for Cavill, for him sticking to the source material and being such a loyal fan but I wouldn't have cast him either. And I wasn't over the moon with his performance either. Fully agreed with the OP here. Zach McGowan is an interesting choice btw, maybe we could find an even better one.

[@vitoldwisniewski]

One of the reasons why I prefer the Witcher games over this show.

[@garrick3727]

The only main character casting that really annoyed me was Triss. I would probably agree about Ciri being too old, but I stopped watching after the first season so it was less obvious how old the actress was. I agree with all the reasoning given for the other characters.

[@malyvo0]

Triss is no main character, though.

[@highlanderknight]

​@@malyvo0In the books she is probably just below Dandelion/Jaskier. Not a main character but certainly no minor character either.

[@malyvo0]

​@@highlanderknight I would argue that many minor characters are on par or even more prominent then Triss - Yarpen Zigrin, Zoltan Chivay, Regis... Some of them having even their own 'dedicated' short story where they're (one of) the main characters, like Mother Nenneke. What made Triss really special are the games. Untill then she was one of the many side characters.

[@ellenripley4837]

My first pick for Geralt was the same actor you picked. I even did a photoshop version of Geralt with his face when Netflix announced they were doing the show.

[@roadstarman58]

Zach McGowan was my first pick from the time they first announced the series. His looks, hair ( no need for a wig ), gravelly voice ( in acting mode ), and smart ass attitude seemed a perfect fit. Eva Green was my first pick, also.

[@jamesdalton2014]

When the narrator described how he thought Geralt should look, my first thought was actually Ewan Mitchell from House of the Dragon. He's thin and wiry, rather than buff and bulky, so he'd have to put some muscle on to be believable. But, he was able to look very menacing in that role (unlike his earlier roles). His accent and the depth of his voice might be a bit of a problem though. Having said that, I do like Zach McGowan. His portrayal of Charles Vane in Black Sails demonstrates he could have handled the role of Geralt very well.

[@cheeks7050]

What's crazy is that all the monsters suck in the show.

[@highlanderknight]

Maybe, seem ok but not great and to be honest you probably kill more monsters in the first two hours of the main (3rd) game than in all the books combined. So if I see someone saying not enough monsters, I know they haven't read the books.

[@cheeks7050]

@@highlanderknight I said they suck, not there aren't enough.

[@zoetje9817]

8:09 Lauren Hissrich commented on this. Apparently they were planning to cast a child at first, however they changed their mind because they’d run into child labour laws. This makes sense: the production was so rushed that I don’t think they could’ve reduced the working hours sufficiently to comply with the regulations and still finish in ~2.5 years. Yet another example of deadlines ruining media.

[@balrog262]

That's okay.

[@kaiishere016]

I'd never really thought about the appearance of Geralt's on-screen looks compared to his book descriptions. Although I think that Geralt being more handsome and muscular still looks good and works for his character, if we're wanting to stay accurate to the books then I think the actor you suggested would work great I definitely agree that Ciri always looked far too old, though. It really disrupts the father-daughter dynamic between her and Geralt for me, it feels more like he's just an involuntary guardian instead

[@malyvo0]

I myself don't agree it works for Geralt at all - just consider how many times Geralt gets into a brawl with a no-name thug. How many times people try to swindle him, how many times they try to rob him of his possesions or just not give him his reward. Did he really look like Superman, who would've dared? His looks are not even decribed as "initimidating" in the books - he should really only be "unpleasant looking" to fit the story well.

[@kaiishere016]

@@malyvo0 Fair point, honestly

[@carontorliak2760]

@@malyvo0 But he was also liked by a lot of women in the books, including sorceresses who were known to be the most beautiful of all. Sure there was a component of "adventure" with Geralt but I doubt he was that hideous (self-described). Him being as big as he is is more a product of having to be heavily involved in stunt work, its more function over form. I think the show could have done a better job with make-up to at least make his face look a little less clean. Unfortunately, that is the least of their problems.

[@malyvo0]

@@carontorliak2760 Well, If you've read the books, you know hat witcher's touch was what was the most appealing about Geralt to sorceresses - that tingling sensation. He was basicly a walking vibrator for them, they didn't have to worry about commitment issues and so on (of course, with any other witcher those things in particular would've been the same, but there are not that many of them really at that point in the lore). So, as much as I agree he was not really hideous, there were other traits to him - then his appearance - women (sorceresses especially) found attractive.

[@karolinakuc4783]

​@@carontorliak2760But it is raw kind of beauty. Geralt looks like trouble maker not Superman. And he is always anxious. He is more of a Byronic character.

[@JT117]

I feel like a madman reading endless parroting of how perfect Cavill apparently is for Geralt! It is so obvious that those people haven't even read the series. The games have done wonders for The Witcher, but they have caused many negative side-effects too, the biggest one being that most fans don't even know the lore 😅

[@nicovelardita8619]

I mean, he doesn't look like game's Geralt either I think people where just gaslighted by Henry's enthusiasm for the role and his good looks, because aesthetically he is as far from any Geralt as is possible

[@emmanuel1337]

Yep. I've been saying forever that Henry isn't a good pick at all for Geralt, but I've pretty much always got flack for it until people started opening their eyes to the source material. Nowadays there are still too many fanboys/fangirls that have no idea what they're talking about, but at least more people recognize, even if they liked Hnery's performance (which is weird, but ok lol), that he isn't the perfect Geralt, just a version they like (for some reason...).

[@carontorliak2760]

@@emmanuel1337 Idk about perfect but I feel the essence of Geralt in his acting, its just you can't have a good performance if you aren't given good things to say...or anything to say other than "Hmmm" and "F*ck". The appearances to a certain extent doesn't matter, there are lots of great movies with great acting performances of characters that look very different to the described look in a book. If you only care about technicalities, then yes, Henry isn't the perfect Geralt.

[@emmanuel1337]

@@carontorliak2760 I don't see Geralt in him at all. It's not that I only care about technicalities, but that *I care about them as well,* so if you're going to adapt the character, might as well get someone that looks as close as possible to his description, and in this case it isn't even a crazy one -- just get a low body fat muscular guy that doesn't use steroids and doesn't look conventionally handsome. The rest can be done by makeup and props. Regarding the importance of accurate looks, it's just that sometimes the change is equivalent (get the same effect) or doesn't result in much loss to the production, and this isn't one of those cases imo. The proper physique of a witcher and how Geralt looks matters to the story and/or worldbuilding (or would matter, if they actually adapted The Witcher, which they aren't). An adaptation could survive a guy like Henry, who doesn't look like Geralt, playing the White Wolf and still be good? Yes, but a person with equivalent acting and closer looks would make it much better, and I want the best possible for this IP I love -- no need for compromises in something which can trivially be made superior.

[@richardbrocker]

I like watching commentary on the Netflix series from people who have read and really know the books well. You know your stuff for sure. My first exposure the Witcher was through the netflix series. I really enjoyed season 1 and then started playing all three games. LOVED the games and then read the books. The books are the ABSOLUTELY the best of the three and I think CDProjektRed did a great job building on the lore. After experiencing the books and games though, the netflix witcher projects have all become such a disappointment. Great video!

[@skrawl8374]

Ta Polská verze co vyšla v 2002 je tolik lepší než co Netflix udělal.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Yep..

[@karlmodry716]

No zas tolik ne :D casting možná trochu (ale ten Marigold...) ale ty příběhový změny byly taky obrobský.

[@malyvo0]

@@karlmodry716 Marigolda jsem prve taky nechápal, ale myslím, že skvěle funguje chemie mezi oběma herci, proto je tam Zamachowski. A příběhové změny - souhlas, nechápu např. rozdvojení postavy Vesemira, kdy skutečný Vesemir se jmenuje "Starý" a jméno Vesemir tam má nějaký jejich kněz přes zkoušku trav apod. Každopádně, přes to vše, nakolik s Vámi souhlasím, stále tvrdím a budu tvrdit, že polský seriál je o míle před Netflixem, a to i kdyby rozpočty byly vyrovnané. Jde mi totiž o zachycení atmosféry a myšlenky, a v tomto ohledu je to nebe a dudy.

[@karolinakuc4783]

​@@karlmodry716Polski serial przekazywał jakieś wartość. Netflixowy przekazuje antywartości

[@OskarJanczak]

@@karlmodry716 Heh, a po czesku Marigold to Jaskier, ta? xD Dlatego musieliście zmienić nazwisko Triss. Pamiętam.

[@bockman55]

Casting a Caribbean fringilla Vigo who's supposed to be Yen's cousin and look like Anna Henrietta is hilarious

[@ReadR00ster1]

Anna Henrietta is the cousin. Not Yennefer. Beyond what she looks like. They made Fringilla Vigo into a completely different character that she was in the books. It's not the same person in the least little bit. Just the name.

[@wampyrelli]

Yeah, she's supposed to look somewhat like Yenn too...

[@hassansalgado9690]

When netflix announced the casting before season 1 I got worried because Fringila was too different than Yennefer and then it wouldn't make any sense that Geralt would get involved with her in tousaint. Wish this was the biggest issue they had f++ked in the storytelling. There were so many things I wanted to see like Eyck of Denesle fighting against Borch, Yennefer using her burned feet to cast spells while her hands were tied, Primula riding Nivellen to scare people, Geralt and Ciri in Brokylon, Yennefer getting blind by Fringilla, Yarpen Zigrin getting shocked after the Scoia'tael attack . . . I really hate Netflix, but not because of Cavil. I don't give a shit about Cavil.

[@verenamenzel8958]

probably the writers only read one or two books, were to lazy to do their homework.

[@kaengurus.sind.genossen]

The next season is out? But I haven't recovered from the last one yet, how am I supposed to cringewatch it?

[@FolkWalkCZ]

A lot of alcohol perhaps? If you really intend to watch it don't do it on Netflix and sail the high seas please. Don't give the show your view.

[@MrKidtendo64]

Definitely felt the same sentiments with Yenn. I've only played The Witcher 3, but again, it still gave the vibe that she was someone who was older and more mature.

[@adamp6320]

@@automaticninjaassaultcat3703 Hmm I actually think Anya is very pretty and a good actress but COMPLETELY WRONG for the character of Yen. If she had been cast as a different sorceress, maybe Sile, I could have been okay with her..but then she'd barely be in the show. Not a bad outcome. Yen should have been someone Henry's age to have chemsitry, or maybe early 30s to show that sorceresses are eternally youthful but old and commanding inside. Yen commands respect - Anya just doesn't.

[@letrosti6291]

@@adamp6320 but isn't yennefer described as looking like she's in her 20's?

[@vulfreyde]

Young Ralph Fiennes would have been great as Geralt.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Great pick 🙂

[@mrp1326]

Clicked 'like' before watching :P Zach McGowan is an intersting choice, but to me he resembles a little more Lambert than Geralt. I just hope that there will be some other adaptation of Geralt's adventures after this netflix disaster.

[@le-chevalier-renaud]

So glad to finally see someone who disagrees with Henry Cavill being perfect for Geralt. I saw Zack McGowan for the first time in Black Sails and I immediatelly though he was perfect for Geralt, he has the same long hair and he reminded me exactly of the way Geralt is first described in the Last Wish

[@malakimphoros2164]

I like Tissaia's actress, Vilgefortz and Cahir are bearable.

[@karolinakuc4783]

The only reason Roach wasn't given a rainbow mane was because it would be considered animal cruelty

[@user-ir4wp6tm2y]

I always pictured Eva Green as Yen as in my opinion she is perfect, especially after watching Penny Dreadful. Her voice, looks, acting ability and age all work to the advantage. I was skeptical at first about Henry Cavill, although he doesn't necessarily look like Geralt, I feel he was still able to pull him off exceptionally well and I enjoyed his portrayal.

[@sofianaji6726]

I've always thought that Henry was a bad cast, if you think about it, the only thing henry is famous for is talking about how much he loves the witcher and playing video games, yet doesn't act the part at all, i know the script doesn't help but i find his performance to be wooden and stiff. Im actually glad he's gone. Perhaps Netflix will put the show to rest finally 🙏

[@zvonimirtomac7896]

The reason for why they change Geralt's appearance in adaptations so often is to avoid the comparisons with Elric of Melnibone, who is also a skinny albino with white hair and strange eyes, as well as a swordsman, and an occasional mercenary who sometimes uses magic to help him. Sapkowski definitely took a lot of inspirations from Elric's books, and I don't think studios wanted to deal with possible legal issues

[@bmp2791]

To be honest, I am pretty sure Elric was described as very beautiful, more slender skinny than malnourished skinny like Geralt. If GOT wasn't scared of legal issues with Targaryens being literally Elric then i don't think witcher Has anything to worry about.

[@CrusadiaIX]

Elric is regularly described in his own books as being sickly pale and even “wasting away”, typically because he literally was wasting away from his natural afflictions and his bond with Stormbringer.

[@R1ck_Ryder]

Lmao I love how much mental gymnastics witcher fanboys have to use to cope with plagiarism 😂😂😂

[@avalon5957]

*Finally* someone with sense regarding the casting of Geralt. When I heard they were making the Witcher, Zack McGowan was my very first thought, as he looks similar to Geralt from the description of the books and also how he looked in the first game. And after seeing and hearing his voice him as Charles Vane, he was the perfect fit in my head. Regarding Yen, I agree that Eva Green would be a great fit. In the book she is described as mesmerizingly beautiful and with almost elvish features, but still a flawed beauty; her nose being a bit too long and sharp, her brows not perfectly symmetrical, and other such features, which Eva Green fits quite well. No one can deny that she is a beauty, but she does have very distinct and sharp features. But all in all, the entire cast of the Netflix's "adaptation" is a mess. There are even minor actors within the show that would've fit other minor roles far better, like MyAnna Buring who plays Tissia de Vries, who has such ethereal and fey-like features, which would have suited the role of Francesca Findabair WAY better. All this being said. It's clear that no one of the team has read the books, or have only read the first or first two books. Imagine seeing the guy they cast as Foltest during the scene with the Northern rulers sitting together, and they all suggest/implying that Foltest should marry Cirilla as he is 'still fairly young and, a *Very* handsome,' and apply that to the old moppet they cast as Foltest... It's a mess... The show has no shame nor soul, and it shows. Thanks for coming to my rant. lol

[@FolkWalkCZ]

I would argue that even those two short stories were butchered. I'll talk about it in future video.

[@avalon5957]

@@FolkWalkCZ think you mean to comment that on my other comment about the episodes 😆 but yes, even the Grain of Truth and The Lesser Evil were both butchered. The entire series is a Slaughter of the stories and the characters. It's a mess.

[@anvszka]

For me Caitriona Balfe (she played a main character in Outlander series) would be a perfect Yennefer

[@FolkWalkCZ]

I love Outlander ❤️ Just finished watching the last season recently. And yeah, she could be a good Yennefer I think 🙂

[@wiss7245]

I really appreciated Henry's portrayal of Geralt and I can't see him saying no to the producers if they had asked him to get slimer for the role since he has shown his love for The Witcher and his dedication about getting Geralt right. But when you mentioned the shape of the jaw and that Geralt in the books was supposed to be less pretty I couldn't help but think about Ewan Mitchell who plays Aemond Targaryen in House of the dragon, especially when you showed the comparatives with the book, his face popped up in my mind instantly. If he was older i think it would've been a great fit and I also personally think that letting Henry produce his own Witcher series could be something great since no one has been as much vocal as him about his appreciation of the witcher in the industry as he was. Hell even Andrzej Sapkowski praised him for his performance.

[@vecnagreyhawk78]

It would have been so easy to simply adapt the books. But they done fukked up. 😅

[@Youpoorsouls]

I'm Indian. I never needed Yennefer to look like me. Her actress isn't impressive nor can she compare look wise to game or book Yen. They butchered her story too much in the show. I'd prefer Eva, the lady you mentioned or the woman who played Morgana in Merlin.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Oh, Katie McGrath is a good one 👌 I love Merlin 🙂

[@sayo2409]

Wait Cavil as a producer is actually a really good idea.

[@hcaps3129]

I feel like the the actor who played jaimie lannister wouldve been perfect for geralt

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Geralt - Cavill does his best to portray Geralt's snide, irritable and intelligent nature. But he physically is just too bulky for Geralt. He looks a bit too mighty, and at fight choreographies, he moves a bit too stiff and heavy for someone that's supposed to look catlike in his movement. Also, I don't think Cavill's approach to acting is good for Geralt. Geralt's all about small neuances and having cold demeanor that can swiftly turn into anger and hideous intimidation. Cavill is not really that great an actor. He's a very passionate storyteller and loves roles he's having, and does his best to reflect the physical aspect of them, but a deep character like Geralt can't be just some face and swordbuckler. Yen - Anya Charlotra is just not ticking any boxes about Yennefer, from her age from her portrayal of Yennefer. Yen is supposed to be someone who is very pompous, very apt to luxury, the very opposite of down to earth, and we hear Anya yelling ''Oi'' to downtrodden elves in gutters. Her looks are off, her Indo-Persian heritage doesn't add up and she's phsyically not really eye catching, even though those are Yennefer's quintissential qualities. I think Kate Beckinsale couldn't have handled this role as well, but Eva Green is also too old for it nowadays. I'd still pick Kate Beckinsale from general consensus. Or just go full Polish and bring Karolina Wydra or something. Ciri - Freya Allen looked a spot on selection for the role at season one, albeit they skipped Brokilon entirely, which was a huge dagger to the story, Freya looked okay. But from season 2 on, she isn't Ciri. She look around 20 years old, her acting and her portrayal has nothing to do with Ciri, who was childish and adorable enough to jump a 10 feet drop to a beam in a chasm, then turns back and show middle finger to Rience who's chasing him because she learnt it from Yarpen Zigrin and can't resist using it on that occasion. Not to mention she's pathetic in athletics, the way she runs, the way she figths etc yells ''I don't have any talent at this and I certainly haven't trained enough to do these choreographies'' Especially how inathletically she runs is a big irk to me

[@jamesn6412]

I think the actress could've pulled off the description for calanthe if they didn't butcher her makeup, gave her better more regal clothing and didn't direct her to act so boorish

[@FolkWalkCZ]

I don't know, maybe. But I think Calanthé is supposed to be blond if I'm not mistaken. As I said in the previous video I picture her like Charlize Theron in the Snow White and the Huntsman. That would be perfect pick for the role but I get that Charlize would be an expensive A-lister.

[@marcinsmolarek636]

Great video. I agree mostly. Cavil performance. Yes we could have better fit. But show needed at least one movie star and you cannot blame him for all the flaws. Many of those are creative choices made by producer/writer/director. He is pretty and muscular but proper make up and wardrobe could adjust that to proper level. Żebrowski's Witcher had more dialogs that showed a human side of Geralt, same game version of Geralt from W1 and W3. Netflix wanted grumpy Geralt who doesn't talk a lot and even movie star have cannot go against that vision.

[@cdnxman1326]

To be fair, the showeunners are mostly Thirsty women, and apparently had cavil do things to make himself look even bigger, or have him drink no water fror several days ahead of time, to make his muscles more defined .

[@therealpapacoco]

Just like how Hugh Jackman does not resemble the real Wolverine but people are now saying that no one else can play him with justice, Cavill got that treatment.

[@NbNb-ul9ss]

Haven’t read the books, but when you described the witcher I immediately thought of Ewan Mitchell( Prince Aemond in House of the Dragon)

[@thelastbrickbender2139]

Honestly character likeness is probably the lowest on my list of adaptational accuracy, unless the looks of a character are important to the story like in game of thrones, where families are clearly defined by a specific look and yet Jon and Ned look nothing alike in the show or Renly who was supposed to look like a younger Robert, but doesn’t at all in the show, but otherwise and honestly even then, as long as the actor plays the role well and looks at least somewhat like the person or kind of person he’s meant to portray it’s fine in my opinion

[@highlanderknight]

The only problems I had with this review is that he made it seem as if character looks, while important to some extent, were more important than everything else. Like those people you may have heard crying to cast cosplayers because they looked so good with zero consideration for their acting ability or even if they spoke English.

[@rorschach6809]

Mads and Eva will forever be the dream Geralt and Yen 🙂. Good video brother 👍

[@malyvo0]

Young Mads and young Eva though. Or, if they were making an adaptation of The Witcher III...

[@esteczka]

@@malyvo0 Eva is almost in good age (I think she should be 35-40), Mads is too old though But that's me

[@malyvo0]

@@esteczka If you plan on filming a witcher-related series, you'd need younger actresses to play sorceresses who don't age, cause you'd need their visage to remain youtfull throughout the series.

[@esteczka]

@@malyvo0 yes, but not AS young as Anja. Because Yen was adult woman, not 20-25. And nowadays makeup allows to keep proper look of actress for years, it is sometimes even hard to guess how old they are :/

[@malyvo0]

@@esteczka I never said as young as Anja. All I've said was that casting Mads and Eva at the moment would suit only if they were filming Witcher III version of the characters, as both actors are past what they should be for filming the original plot of the short stories and the saga.

[@ammar2316]

Finally, someone else besides me who thinks that Henry is not suitable for the role, alongside all the other cast members.

[@dziabuka1981]

Thank you. Finally somebody says that Henry is not good for that role! Although I have to admit that appearance is something that you can get used to when actor does his job convincingly, but I didn't even like how Henry played Geralt. I gave up on Witcher's Netflix pretty early, so maybe they did some character development on him later but I didn't like how Geralt's character is just a sad grump and that's basically it.

[@karolinakuc4783]

Not that Henry Cavill had much artistic freedom

[@dziabuka1981]

@@karolinakuc4783 yeah I agree. That's why I'm not that harsh on him and most of the actors, because I think it's mostly script's fault. Even the best actor would struggle to make it decent.

[@carontorliak2760]

Geralt in the first few books is pretty much a sad and edgy grump. Henry did a great job at trying to portray this character while not copying the already existing performances of him, he just didn't have many stellar performances due to dogshit writing and literally having less lines than C grade characters.

[@highlanderknight]

​@@dziabuka1981100% the fault of the script. The level of accuracy as far as looks makes no difference compared to how bad the writing is.

[@robeeteam3399]

Right, Henry should be the producer not the actor. Gladly he will produce the Warhammer series they say. Will be watching that obviously. Hopefully no woke agenda on that.

[@TheLastSoundNL]

I found an actor yesterday for Geralt. Joseph Mawle. Though I don't think he would have had the time because was in Rings of Power, where he played Adar. He also played Benjen Stark.

[@Qbone_]

I agree with you alot on this video especially the geralt part. Even though henry cavill acting was good he doesn't look like geralt. Alot of geralt appearance is from geralts own appearance but then again he constantly bangs sorceress so he must be some what handsome. I think the most unsettling thing about his apperenace is he has scars and cat eyes.

[@ThePariahDark]

A friend of mine called it "the inclusivity lodge of sorceresses" due to the casting choices.

[@TonyFed]

The only good thing about the Witcher TV series is that it gave Folk Walk the opportunity to dunk on every aspect of the Witcher TV series.

[@avelynewalk9159]

Am I the only one who dislikes the hair/makeup change of s2 Ciri from s1. Looked very artificial and made ciri much older.

[@adamp6320]

Also can we not mention Francesca? She's supposed to be the most beautiful woman who ever lived and they've cast someone who at least as made up so far on the show looks like she hasn't slept in months and doesn't know what makeup is

[@akashajones6079]

Are you really going to pretend she's not stunning? You must be blind.

[@NIL0S]

I've sort of learned to see these TV adaptations, like The Witcher or Rings of Power, as their own separate thing, like as if they were set in a parallel universe. Rarely will adaptations do the original book version justice. Once you simply see it as only one of many possible interpretations, it's half as bad to see your beloved characters, their worlds and plots, be butchered. Personally I didn't mind Cavill as Geralt, I also enjoyed the background stuff they added about Yenn, and I thought Ciri was pretty well cast, beside the age thing, but everybody else you mentioned, not so much. A pet peeve of mine were the horribad Nilfgaard armors in the show, luckily the costumes get better as the show progresses, and they get proper dark fluted armor.

[@karolinakuc4783]

But it cannot be even called adaptation. It's a squib.

[@adamp6320]

@@karolinakuc4783 agreed, they are not adapting the source material, they're ignoring it and writing their own. Look at season 2 ? There's nothing from the books in the season's main story? Yen trying to sell Ciri? Vezemir taking her blood? Monoliths? Yen the hero of sodden and without her magic and freeing ...just forget it.

[@crinpeecc2]

I guess there is no actor, who can look like Heralt from the book. CD Projekt drew a really memorable character. Because when you draw, you can "configure" the person's appearance. But after the books and games that's really hard to percieve the same with the real person on the screen. Especcially when Netflix didn't take into account the book's description

[@bradleymitchell9918]

I was not a fan of Henry Cavill's casting originally. I agree that he was too pretty and too muscular. However, Henry won me over! I did read the books, but I played the W3 first, and was just too into that. When Henry nailed the voice, I was satisfied, and even came to really enjoy what he did. Yeah, I am a normie I guess.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Well, at least you've read the books. That's commendable.

[@AW-uv3cb]

I think the problem with the casting of so many of the sorceresses is that they're described in great detail in the books (with some physical features becoming their trademark that's often mentioned, like Triss's beautiful auburn hair), and they also have very distinct characters, so the readers can get a very clear idea of them in their heads and veering too far away from those descriptions seems grating (meanwhile some writers don't give you so many physical details, so it's easier to buy into whatever casting a film chooses). For season 1 (didn't watch past it) my favourite casting was Tissaia de Vries - the actress had a lot of poise and dignity that fit well with the role. Yennefer - wouldn't be my first choice, but she does fit the bill, so fine (I'm firmly in the Eva Green camp haha). I hated the casting for Jaskier. He's supposed to be extremely handsome and appealing, and this actor is... honestly, you wouldn't notice him in the crowd (that on top of making the character rather stupid). If I had to describe how I always imagined him physically, I'd go for someone like young Cary Elwes from his Princess Bride days, haha.

[@Elidrys]

OMG YEAH that pirate actor would have been perfect for Geralt, still ripped, but with the right adjustments, sharper and menacing. I thought Henry's look was off from the beginning but he owned the role so well and made it his own, that I am in the camp that its hard to see 3 seasons with him and then just switch to Liam - who is essentially another handsome hunk Henry wannabe. Geralt was not supposed to be a handsome hunk, but Henry sold it. They've gone too far to send it in the other direction, and replacing him just feels like if they are doing the same thing with someone lesser.

[@fufsayd]

Yes, i haven't read the book, but i agree with you about geralt, the actor you recommend look much badass.

[@malyvo0]

The point is, Geralt does not look that "badass" in the books - thats why even common folk often feel they can have the upper hand with him, they try to intimidate him, they try to rob him and stuff, cause he just does not look intitmidating, his looks are rather decribed mostly as "unpleasant". His voice can be intimidating at times, though.

[@joeycaprio6091]

Really dug your 3 Witcher videos. I'm commenting here maybe 20 minutes after finishing the other two (including the one you posted today.) Rooting for your success, would definitely enjoy more content like this.

[@V1RU5420]

thx for the reminder...damn i rly hate NF.

[@magdalenaszymaniak3167]

Zac was my choice from the beginning. I haven't heard anybody else talking about him before...

[@parheliaa]

My biggest cringe was Torque ugly sister (i.e. Toruviel). When I saw her I had to pause, because I couldn't stop laughing (same was with Merigold).

[@unnf9971]

Holly SHIT! YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT! I completely forgot about Zach McGowan! He would be an absolutely perfectcombination of book and game Geralt! F Netflix in the A!

[@lupusHegemonia]

Man... ...I never thought that. Your CHOICE (actor) for Gerrart... yeah, makes VERY MUCH sense!

[@saravnanrajendran]

Hi, hit the mark on every single point as usual, brilliant video.. i felt the same on so many points in the exact same way but gave up talking about it on reddit because i got downvoted for it. Also love the casting choices, yours were spot on ❤

[@borisdorofeev5602]

Kate Beckinsale from the first vampire movie would have been a perfect Yennefer. Triss actress looks ridiculous but Charles Vane would be a great Geralt.

[@Smaoltic26]

It’s not exactly the actors(most of them) that don’t match up it’s their writing that shits on the books

[@HEKVT]

Netflix when they hire any random old person rather than someone who is actually a good actor and looks at least somewhat like the descriptions of the characters.

[@DashXero]

If memory serves, they cited child labor laws for why Ciri couldn't be younger. A lot of the shoots with Ciri were to be filmed past a certain time of day - and it is actually illegal to have a minor working that late. I love this video series, and have learned a lot on why book fans don't like the show - and it makes sense because they seem to have butchered a lot.

[@luciusnguyen2449]

I agree with what you said about Henry. I personally don't see him as the Witcher as well. Personally, I even think that Liam Hemsworth might look better as Geralt. He's less muscular than Henry and has a sharper chin, not to mention the beard

[@AW-uv3cb]

I get that they wanted Ciri to be a few years older so the actress could act more reliably and also be trusted with all the training and fight scenes, and the violence that's inflicted on her character... but then make her something like 13-14, not 20! If they could find Millie Bobby Brown for Stranger Things, they could've found someone to play Ciri too. And the biggest issue I had with her in the series is that while they aged her up, she's still WRITTEN like a 10-year old, playing with kids on the streets of Cintra and completely unaware of the broader world, when at this age she'd be expected to act like an actual princess and have lessons and whatnot, and just generally be a bit more mature. It made her character feel stupid. And don't even get me started on what they did with Calanthe, both in terms of casting, yes, but mainly in terms of writing her like a crass, whinging and aggressive idiot who hears about an enemy invasion and decides that it's not worth stopping a ball for.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Good point about Ciri. I actually talk about exactly what you've mentioned regarding Calanthe in a video which I released after this one I think.

[@Fera-gr5mm]

Geralt's actor at least respects the stories. Compred to Ciri's who did not like it as much.

[@UltimateTobi]

Yennefer is a diversity-hire as well.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

That's true.

[@nunuarthas8680]

The idea of certain character can't be played by other actors is simply too narrowminded. They're actors, it's their job to embody the character they protray. No actor should be bigger than the character. It's sad to see Henry go btw.

[@LuaanTi]

The main problem is that this is how Hollywood works. They're not hiring actors, they're hiring characters. They don't want you to pretend to be someone else, they're looking for that someone else. Many Hollywood actors aren't actually all that good at acting - and the one's who are are almost always 1) also theatrical actors (where you _must_ be able to take on various different roles, not just one), 2) not American. It probably came from having such a huge array of people to choose from (since "everyone" wanted to be a Hollywood actor), and their position of power (the rampant abuse isn't really all that surprising given the way Hollywood casting works, but which also works best when you're working with young, naïve, aspiring actors who know very well that if you don't choose them, you have a hundred more waiting in the line).

[@MatJan86]

interesting pick for actors. As for the Geralt, his actor needs to be lean and athletic but still posses muscle. But he cant be bulky like henry. It would be also good if his actor was also tall and lean but with athletic muscle looks. he needs them otherwise it will looks silly for a skinny guy without muscles to fight monsters. For Yenefer i would go with the less known actress.

[@adamradon8202]

Henry could play Vilgefortz, who was described as very handsome and well built. Still too buff and not the best actor for this pretty complex role, but with the right direction this could work. Michael Fassbender would be my, probably, favourite choice for the role of Vilgefortz: good looking, athletic, very talented and with wide range, can be both charming and menacing. As for Geralt - Josh Brolin around the No Country for Old Men era. The right built, face, voice and acting skills. Or Clint Eastwood in his 40s, same reasons. Too late in both cases:(

[@DevilHunter1994]

I can see what you mean about Henry being too buff and attractive, but while the buffness might not go away, I think the attractiveness could be taken care of with a good enough makeup job. Get a talented makeup artist in there, and they can make anyone look terrifying. Netflix absolutely could have made Henry look more like Book Geralt. They simply chose not to.

[@CxerRy96]

your casting choices are good...people love henry because he was enthusiastic about being geralt but I 100% agree he should have just been the showrunner instead

[@fellino8049]

I really hope in the future HBO would take over The Witcher adaptation. HBO knows how to make an adaptation and stick to the source materials. The reason why GoT final season was so bad is because they ran out source materials.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

I'm not entirely sure. I actually made a video on this exact topic ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaiQoWOZZbOcq8U ). There would have to be someone who understands our culture really well and has a final say in the production.

[@zxr-ok5lw]

Your so right about everything. Its nice to here someone say exactly what im thinking im not crazy. Love your casting choices there perfect.

[@TomDrwal]

To rozpływanie się nad Henrym C. też mnie irytowało. Świetnie, że wrzucasz te filmy, gdyż słuchając angielskich komentarzy widać ich brak ogarnięcia.

[@zibbitybibbitybop]

Maybe a miracle will occur someday and a studio that actually gives a shit will hire Cavill to do exactly what you suggested and produce a new Witcher series. I bet it'd be amazing, a truly faithful adaptation of the books.

[@memamay]

What I find annoying is that the majority of the actors are actually good, but they are just not on the right positions here... Netflix`s wasting their talent

[@mrlucky9157]

Idk how can you tell if they are good or not, maybe by watching their other works, bc in this show they are all bland, plus the writing is so bad that any of their efforts are in vein.

[@karolinakuc4783]

Pissing off fans for fun I guess. I hope it will end up in fall in subsbcriptions

[@McEldercraftHD]

4:35 ok you got me there. I thought Henry Cavill would be a perfect portrayal of Geralt too when the show came out because, ironically, Season 1 sparked my interest in The Witcher. Didn’t read the books, unfortunately. But I find the comparisons very interesting.

[@JayZisawesome]

As someone who has read the books but hasn't played the games I disagree with nearly all of your choices. That's not to say you haven’t made some good points. I think Henry captured Geralt very well and even if Geralt may not be described as a 'pretty boy' in the books, he does manage to be attractive and charming enough for most women to want to sleep with including mages. So trying to not be superficial here but if you look at it that way then I guess that Henry is the perfect choice. Also, I think even if someone else was chosen to play Geralt I doubt that they'd put in the same time and effort Henry has to train and capture Geralt's personality as well as he did. And though I somewhat agree with you on Yennefer, I also think that's more due to the writing butchering her character making her seem weaker than she really is. For all the other characters I couldn't be stuffed to care as much because it's not like the writers are really sticking to the source material anyways.

[@kblargh]

Respectfully, one of the people who said Superman was perfect as Geralt was Sapkowski. I don't say this to invalidate your criticism of Cavill in any way and maybe i'm biased because i played the games first and then went through the audiobooks, and seeing someone who genuinely loves the material and does his damnedest to see it through always makes you see someone in a better light. But as i watched his performance, i really thought he fit it, despite him looking much more game-like than book-like. Now on Ciri i completely agree - not just on the age but also she doesn't have a shred of the energy either book Ciri or game Ciri has. Ciri is always larger than life in nearly everything she does, while Freya Allan looks like she's trying to keep from looking at her watch most of the time.

[@FolkWalkCZ]

I get your point but I don't really respect Sapkowski's opinions. I respect him immensely for his writing but his takes outside of that are almost always bad and he likes to sniff his own farts too much so I usually ignore anything he has to say.

[@emceha]

My favourite part of the overall The Witcher fan wars was “Triss should be a ginger”, because Geralt’s hair suppose to be milk white, not gray.

[@troo_6656]

Frankly one thing I will say is that casting changes in general do not bother me unless there comes up characteristics or plot points where the appearence is important. For example Henry as Geralt is frankly irrelevant, while there might be more fitting actor if you can find them there isn't a problem plot or character wise. Casting of Fringila is far more important as her appearance is integral part of Lady of the Lake. There are also just bizzare castings such as Therecia Wilson-Read who is practically like if Margarita jumped out of the book at you yet they cast her as Sabrina Glevissig... you know the black haired sorceress. That is my main issue man, it's that they just did whatever they wanted and even when the perfect castings were literally presenting themselves they just didn't do it for whatever reason.

[@FlaccidPhoenix]

I’m tempted to read the books but i think I’ll just end up hating the series even more than I do lol

[@FolkWalkCZ]

Let the hate flow through you.