Witcher Season 2 Cinematographer Praises Henry Cavill’s Dedication

Romain Lacourbas, a cinematographer who worked on The Witcher season 2, has praised Henry Cavill for his dedication to the role. The Witcher season 2 was released on Netflix earlier in December and gained much success, clocking in over 142 million viewing hours in only three days. The streaming giant is already committed to another season, which will continue to star Cavill in the lead role, as well as a prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, due to release next year.

The Witcher follows Geralt (Cavill), one of the last monster hunters known as “witchers” still alive. The second season was filled with tension and action, picking up from the first season, where Ciri and Geralt managed to find each other after Geralt claimed the Law of Surprise on her father before she was born. The acclaimed actor is attached to many major franchises, having played Superman in the DCEU and antagonist August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Cavill is not new to being part of much-loved franchises and has spoken openly in the past about his love for many of the characters he plays.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Lacourbas praised Cavill for his dedication to the role of Geralt. Speaking of his involvement in Geralt’s character development, Lacourbas described Cavill as “extremely collaborative,” and said that he was “one of the people who knows the books the best.” Lacourbas also added that Cavill was “extremely generous and extremely professional.” Read his full comments below:

“He’s extremely collaborative — him, Lauren and possibly a couple of other producers. Henry’s one of the people who knows the books the best, as well as all the scripts the best. It’s really amazing how much he knows — all the lines of all characters. It’s really amazing. He’s really collaborative,” Lacourbas enthused. “He would sometimes come to discuss an idea or to suggest an idea, but he would never push for it. If he came to talk about a shot and asked for a reason why the camera was [in a particular spot], it was really rare. It would always be for the purpose of the story. He was extremely generous and extremely professional.”

As dedicated as Cavill is on the set, Lacourbas said the actor makes it a point to lighten up the atmosphere during shooting by providing the cast and crew with some laughs.”Of course, that happens, although it was not a tense set or anything. Believe me, the general ambience was really nice,” Lacourbas told Looper. “Of course, there are some jokes sometimes. He is cracking jokes from time to time, and there is a time for that, as always, on the set. But most of the time, it’s about, for him and for all the other actors, to tell you the truth, it’s about being focused. But yeah, there was a very good atmosphere.”

Not only does Cavill get involved in important discussions about his character and the way scenes play out, but he also showed his dedication on set by pushing himself following an injury. Cavill experienced a hamstring injury on set while on an assault course, which is seen in season 2. Lacourbas explained that Cavill had “to train even harder,” and was “waking up at half past 4 in the morning” to fit in stunt training before coming to set and having “makeup, hair, prosthetics, and contact lenses” to transform him into Geralt.

Whilst it isn’t news that Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher and many other franchises he’s involved in, the extra care he puts into ensuring he plays his roles to the best of his ability is very admirable. Having Lacourbas discuss how important Cavill is on set and how professional he is when he pitches ideas or has concerns over how things are filmed, really shows how much the cast and crew value his input and enjoy working alongside him. For fans of the series, it’s reassuring to know the lead actor is just as invested in these beloved characters as they are.