While Anya Chalotra finds Henry Cavill’s intensity to be an asset, others find it to be a hindrance. In 2019, Vulture shared a cover story chronicling Cavill’s journey to landing the role of Geralt of Rivia, which included constant communication with everyone involved in the project. One such creative was Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich, the showrunner for “The Witcher,” who went on the record to say that she found Cavill to be “really annoying.”
That’s not to say that Schmidt-Hissrich believes Cavill is misinformed or inept — far from it. She’s also gone on the record to admit that few individuals understand “The Witcher” quite like him. While filming Season 2, Schmidt-Hissrich allowed him to rewrite the scene in which Roach, the name Geralt gives all of his horses, dies. “Henry was so unhappy with the [scene],” said Schmidt-Hissrich to Polygon in 2021. “Finally, I said, ‘You know what, you come up with something. I trust you, you know this material so well, you know the book so well, you don’t even have to pitch it to me.'”
Adding two and two together, whatever artistic license Schmidt-Hissrich permitted Cavill simply wasn’t enough. The star previously stated that he would stick with the project so long as it remained faithful to the source material. What else could explain why Cavill wants more creative control over his roles in the future?
