This article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 3, Volume 1.
Last month, the first volume of The Witcher Season 3 landed on Netflix with five episodes of monster killing, political twists, and magical conspiracy. In just a few days the second volume will be available to stream, bringing the season to an explosive finish. So we spoke to stars Joey Batey, Freya Allan, and Anya Chalotra to reflect on the season so far and tease what’s to come.
Season 3 has seen sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg become a powerful political influencer. The final episode of the first volume saw her gather kings and mages from across the continent to unite against the tyranny of Nilfgaard. It’s a side of Yennefer that Anya Chalotra loved bringing to life.
“There's so many versions of Yennefer,” she says. “There's so much strength she's shown in this series, but this is a stage of her life that I don't think she ever thought she would get to and has taken her by surprise. And yet again she's found a deeper source of power that allows her to change, allows her to put the world to rights in a way that is for the better, for everyone's good, not just her's.”
That final episode also revealed that evil sorcerer Vilgefortz was behind the hunt for Ciri, and that he’s working with Nilfgaard. It came as a huge surprise to the mages of Aretuza, but Yennefer is ready for the challenge.
“I think because [the reveal] impacts Tissaia so much, [Yennefer] realises for the first time that she needs to step up,” says Chalotra, teasing what’s to come in the next volume. “Not only for Tissaia, for Ciri, but for the Continent. And what I love about Yennefer is she knows how powerful she is. She really does know her capabilities and she now knows how to properly execute everything she's learnt.”
Elsewhere in the Continent, Geralt’s other closest confidant has been having spicier adventures. The penultimate episode of volume one stoked the first flames of romance between the bard and Prince Radovid, the next in line to the throne of Redania.
“I don't think Jaskier sees the inherent power of Radovid, as in the political power,” explains Joey Batey, who plays Jaskier. “He sees something in him that is similar to his own energy and he sees someone hiding behind a mask, he sees someone who is more intelligent than he's letting on. And he's instantly drawn to that kind of person because I think he sees a lot of himself in him.
“But I think he is willing now to explore his own emotions and potentially taking on the risk of his own life,” he adds. “And that's what romantic connection does. You're willing to step into perilous places because that journey and that adventure is worth it”
The inclusion of Radovid in the show, as well as the romance between him and Jaskier, is a significant departure from the books, in which the prince is only a young child. In fact, the version of Radovid in the show feels more like a precursor to the cruel king we see in The Witcher video games. Despite this, the books remain the show's guiding light.
“I think in general the show is adhering in some ways to the books,” affirms Batey. “And the books for me [...] were definitely the foundation on which we have tried to build these characters. But at the same time we've got two visions here, we've got who Mr. Sapkowski wrote and who Lauren [Hissrich, The Witcher’s showrunner] is writing, and it's our job to exist as best we can in between those two and serve the vision of the showrunner whilst maintaining as much integrity to the original character as possible. And that's half the fun and that's half the challenge.
“And it leads to some really lovely discussions and differences and opinions,” he says. “And Lauren's so open to collaboration that it means that hopefully these characters become more and more detailed the more we play them.”
While the Radovid plotline is new material for the show, Jaskier’s plunge into the dangerous and risky world of espionage in season three is something influenced by plotlines from the books.
“It was hinted at in season two, and it's hinted at in the books that Jaskier does get embroiled in some of the political machinations of the Continent,” says Batey. “He is making decisions, they may not be the right decisions, but he's trying because he's figured out what's important to him. [...] And that is this family dynamic and this new niece that he sees [as] someone that is so incredibly special and he's willing to put himself in real danger and risk his life for the most important person to him and to this family.”
Ciri is in more danger than she’s ever been this season, and so that meant actress Freya Allan had to learn how to fight. After being restricted to a wooden sword during her training in season two, this year Ciri gets to wield a sharpened blade of her own.
“Me and [Wolfgang Stegemann], the stunt coordinator, he's extraordinary,” says Allan. “And we created a style based off Geralt, whilst also making it my own. We are obviously very physically different. So I have the agility, I'm smaller, and so I can have more of that in the way I fight. But there's also something to Geralt's style that's very efficient and there are certain moves that he does that I was educated on that really do change the style.
“And it makes sense because Geralt has trained Ciri,” she continues. “So getting to work on that style and make it actually mean something was fun.”
Fighting humans and monsters isn’t the only challenge Ciri faces in season three, though. Volume two adapts the ‘Frying Pan’ section of the Time of Contempt book, in which Ciri must survive the Korath desert. It was a challenging episode to shoot.
“Oh, it was crazy,” says Allan. “Also just being on my own for a whole episode was just a whole new experience, which I was really grateful to have as an actor. But then the obvious thing of the conditions, it was 46 degrees [celcius] every day. But I was so thankful for that because it felt real. So it really helped with the journey, I was going through everything that Ciri was going through. Not everything, I did actually get some water!”
At Netflix’s recent Tudum event, Henry Cavill said goodbye to his time on The Witcher by praising his castmates for bringing so much nuance and detail to their characters. We asked the trio where they found that nuance, and what influenced their portrayal of these fantasy icons.
“It comes from two or three different sources,” Batey reveals. “Each season I try and I pick two or three books that I focus on and then some musical artists that come into play. And then there's some historical research that I try and do as well. This season there was a lot of Kae Tempest with me on set. I returned to some Fitzgerald and went back to characters like Dick Diver in Tender is the Night and things like that. And then just at the end of the day let Joni Mitchell sing me to sleep.”
“Each year is different, I'd say” explains Allan. “Season one, I was so new to everything that I think in a way I just really lent on that, on what I was going through as myself. It was all so overwhelming and that was really what was happening with Ciri as well. So I really think I could relate to her through that.
“I think for season one, I had to create a lot of her memories that she'd had prior,” she says. “And I think the thing that we're so lucky is that now we have those memories with the characters that we can really lean on in certain moments and really allow us to fully fall into those characters.”
Chalotra draws on a much more personal set of experiences to bring Yennefer to life. “She's a hundred years old, so I've played her from 14 to a hundred odd,” she says. “And I feel like a lot of my inspiration has come from the women in my life, the women who've supported me. Because a lot of Yennefer's experiences are just going through many, many events that I feel like I don't have as much experience in as say my mom or my sister. So I draw on certain experiences from other people and the strength of those characters that I know and love.”
Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt has seen him become a firm favorite among the fandom, and his castmates fondly remember their time on set with him.
“He's got a lovely dry wit to him,” says Batey. “Very British humor. I think my memories tend to be of just him ‘corpsing’, or ‘breaking’ as the Americans call it.” (Corpsing is where actors forget their lines and often begin to laugh, spoiling the scene.)
“He and I often have tried to make each other laugh behind the scenes,” continues Batey. “And in that first tavern scene that I shot with him many, many years ago, I saw him break. I think that was the first time that we connected on stuff because it was like, ‘Ah, you're human’.”
“This is so random, but I have so many memories of him just slipping down hills,” laughs Allan. “But being really serious Geralt mode, and then him just sliding. It's just those funny little moments that are nice.”
“Watching him fight has been incredible,” says Chalotra. “Such a learning experience, but also just in awe of somebody who can pick up fights so easily and do them so well and nail it first time. One of my favorite memories was season one when we fought together, that was very special. A lot of season one moments actually, it was all fresh and new, we loved it.”
Of course, season four will see Liam Hemsworth take up the Witcher’s silver sword. Do his future allies have any advice for him?
“I think we wouldn't really give advice,” says Batey. “I think our job is to welcome him. As we would to any new cast member is to say, "Come on in, we know it's a lot, there's a lot going on." And to listen and be patient and commit as hard as we have done thus far.”
The second volume of The Witcher season 3 will be available to stream on Netflix from July 27. For more, check out our review of the first volume, and our burning questions for volume two.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.
