Why Liam Hemsworth Agreed To Replace Henry Cavill As The Witcher's Geralt

With Season 4 of "The Witcher" now streaming on Netflix, fans finally get to see Liam Hemsworth taking over where Henry Cavill left off as Geralt of Rivia. The former Man of Steel and now ex-White Wolf announced his departure from the show in 2022, leaving fans understandably wary of how Hemsworth would fill Cavill's shoes after his final episode aired in 2023. 

So, what was it that drew Hemsworth to take on such a massive task that would lead to inevitable comparisons? It turns out that the former "Hunger Games" star was just as geeky about Geralt as his predecessor was, which is why he wanted to give it his all when it came to taking on the role.

"I think if I wasn't a fan myself, if I didn't care about it, I wouldn't have come on board," Hemsworth told Radio Times. "The reason I came on board was because I was a fan, and because I thought that I could do justice to this character. I thought that could bring an interesting interpretation to this part of the story."

But while some might be intimidated taking over a character for which another actor had already laid the groundwork, Hemsworth was more interested in where Geralt was explicitly in the story by the time he was taking on the role. We can see The Witcher scarred from previous events and at his most vulnerable, which gave Hemsworth a lot more to work with.

"I think what excited me the most was where Geralt is at this part of the story — his emotional state, and where he's heading," he told Radio Times. "I think he's in a very real place of change and a place that I don't think he's been in often in his life. There's a lot of doubt and confusion and worry."

This new chapter feels almost synchronistic with the events that have occurred behind the scenes, as Season 4 gives us a new Geralt in more ways than one. Not only does he look different, but with Ciri (Freya Allan) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) off on their own journeys, Geralt is fighting alongside some new allies this time around, including Danny Woodburn as dwarf warrior Zoltan and Laurence Fishburne as mysterious vampire Regis.

"It's through these other people around him that he sees how much love and care and how much they believe in his journey and his mission right now," Hemsworth explained. "That he's able to lean on them and accept that help, and he's really able to push forward and find himself again and find a new version of himself."