Even as fans got to see Liam Hemsworth swinging the sword in the trailer for the new season of The Witcher, the series still remains in hot water. A latest Tudum article has allegedly caused fans to double down on their hatred for the series. A fan shared alleged screenshots of the said article on X, which detailed how Hemsworth landed the role.
According to the screenshot posted by the fan, it was written that Hemsworth was contacted for the Geralt of Rivia role in 2020. Interestingly, Henry Cavill was filming the role for his second season of the show during this time. The fan alleged that the mentioned timeline was an embarrassment for Cavill.
this is very embarrassing for you @henrycavill pic.twitter.com/a8waZncQ40
However, the Tudum article currently doesn’t mention the year 2020 in that part of the article. It was either never there or removed after fans pointed out the issue, which we can’t confirm. The fan also pointed out how the comparison made in the article between Cavill and Hemsworth’s roles also allegedly insulted the former.
In the article, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich did mention that he knew Liam Hemsworth “would make a perfect Geralt for us in Season 4.” He shared that Hemsworth’s version of the White Wolf will differ slightly. He shared, “His voice, his tone is slightly different, and he does have a little bit more humor. Liam loves to curse, and we’ve brought cursing back.”
Producer Tomasz Bagiński added, “Our Geralt smiles a bit more — maybe he feels a little more emotional, maybe he’s a little more emotional than before.” Fans of Cavill didn’t find these comments appropriate, as they insulted his portrayal of the character.
Liam Hemsworth’s Comments on Dealing With Haters Over His Witcher Role
According to Liam Hemsworth’s story, his agent called with the opportunity when he was at home in Australia. He was initially skeptical about taking on the role. However, a conversation with Hissrich helped him. He told Tudum, “I felt like I was going to have the support and the confidence that I needed to really pull it off.”
Hemsworth recently addressed the hate against him for taking on the role. He shared that he had to take extreme measures like staying off social media for a year to avoid the hatred. He shared with Entertainment Weekly:
There was quite a bit of noise and I had to put that aside. It started to become a distraction. I dealt with that sort of thing in the past a lot and, you know, at the end of the day, I love making movies and I love telling stories and acting. I just don’t want any of that to affect my way of telling the story that I’m trying to tell. I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year.
He shared during an appearance on Live with Kelly & Mark that when he was approached for the role, he had never seen Cavill’s version or read the books. However, he played the video game, calling it “one of the best video games of all time.” It was the game that made him take on the role.
Freya Allan, who plays Cirilla in the show, wanted fans to give Hemsworth a chance. She felt that he was really trying and training hard for the role. She shared that she felt sorry for the actor due to all the attacks from the fan base. Allan also added that she was excited to see what Hemsworth brings to the role.
She shared with Collider:
I don’t want to speak for him, but from what I’ve understood, I feel like he’s really wanting to try and bring the heart. He’s been training. I feel sorry for him, honestly, because, number one, that fan base can be very attack-y, and it’s not an ideal situation to be in taking up someone else’s role. But I’m really excited to see what he does. And he’s such a lovely guy. I just hope that people give him the time of day, you know?
Hemsworth made an incredible transformation for the role, and he quickly learned how to be good with the sword for his fight sequences. He has big shoes to step in, and that puts heavy pressure on the actor. However, his status as a fan of the game is promising to fans as he understands the character to some level.
Why Is Liam Hemsworth Replacing Henry Cavill Despite Fans Loving the Character So Far
When Henry Cavill was cast as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, he had already read Andrzej Sapkowski’s books. He was also a long-time fan of the video game adaptations by CD Projekt Red. He was often the best source of information during the series’ filming.
So it was a shock when the series announced in October 2022 that Cavill had stepped down from Season 4. While we still don’t know what Liam Hemsworth brings to the role, there’s no denying that fans unanimously loved Cavill in the role.
After nearly three years of silence, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently commented on Cavill’s exit. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he shared the reason for Cavill stepping down: “He had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to.”
However, fans weren’t convinced. There was already unverified information out there that Cavill left because the series deviated heavily from the lore, which he couldn’t agree with. It was widely shared that Cavill was a stickler for the original books and even obsessed over some details. It allegedly caused significant creative differences on set.
Many fans rallied behind Cavill for this alleged reason, making the hatred against Hemsworth more significant.
What do you think of Hemsworth replacing Cavill in the series? Let us know in the comments below!
The first three seasons of The Witcher are now available to stream on Netflix. Season 4 will be released on October 30, 2025.
