Henry Cavill Compares Witcher Role To His Past Dream of Being in the Army

Henry Cavill, who stars in Netflix’s The Witcher as Geralt of Rivia, has compared his role in the series to his previous dreams of being in the British army. The British actor shot to international recognition when he was cast as Superman in Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel, a character who he would go on to portray throughout a near-decade of DCEU films. Aside from Superman, the actor’s biggest roles have been in the Mission Impossible franchise and Enola Holmes, and he has played the lead role in The Witcher since the series’ debuted in 2019. Cavill is known to have a tremendous passion for comics, fantasy novels, and video games, and recently suggested he would like to be involved in a TV adaptation of Mass Effect or Warhammer 40K.

The Witcher’s second season was recently released on Netflix and has received glowing reviews from critics and fans. Cavill fought to add depth to Geralt’s character in the second season, and audiences have embraced the actor’s performance while enjoying the chemistry between Cavill and Freya Allan, who plays Ciri. The Witcher remains one of Netflix’s strongest performing properties, and its success is due to be rewarded by a prequel series (The Witcher: Blood Origin), an animated series, and a second animated film.

Now, in an interview with Polygon, Cavill has shared how his childhood dream of being in the British army is similar to his role in The Witcher. The actor stated that he wanted to be part of the armed forces in his youth due to the “warrior brotherhood,” and that he would have joined if acting hadn’t “got to [him] first.” Cavill then reflected on how his previous ambitions compare to his role in The Witcher, explaining that starring in the role allowed him to experience that “tightly knit warrior brotherhood.” Check out Cavill’s full comments below:

“I have the very good fortune of knowing people who have done extraordinary things in the armed forces. And the warrior brotherhood that I see represented in those people, you realize how soulful these individuals are, and the bond that they have with one another. I was very keen on joining the armed forces when I was younger, and had acting not got me first and I would have joined the armed forces. The opportunity to play a Witcher was similar, in a sense, this very tightly knit warrior brotherhood, with an added element of intense sorrow.”

Cavill’s comments about the armed forces are unsurprising given that his interest and admiration for the British armed forces is well documented. The actor is an ambassador for The Royal Marines Charity in the UK, while his brother Nik Cavill serves in the armed forces in the Royal Marines. The Royal Marines are the UK’s elite rapid-response commando force and are comparable to the US’s Marine Corps, and admission requires the kind of physical durability and training that Cavill is no stranger to.

While Cavill’s childhood ambition remains unfulfilled, fans of his work will be glad that he eventually pursued his career in acting rather than military combat. Cavill is appreciated by The Witcher’s fans for his dedication to the role, his passion for the source material, and his sincerity. Audiences are already eager for another season of The Witcher, and any more projects that Cavill takes on in the future are likely to come highly anticipated as well.