Backlash Over One Grisly Witcher Scene Drove Henry Cavill’s Co-Star to Flee the Country

Freya Allan has officially hit the point in her career where a workday means caking herself in mud, blood, and monster goo. Season 4 of The Witcher pushes her even further into the muck, and her last scene this season is a full-on gut punch. It is also the kind of choice that tends to set fandoms on fire, which is exactly what happened.

Ciri grows up the hard way

This year, Ciri rides with the Rats, a pack of charming sociopaths who slice first and ask never. She does real damage, including a body count that makes you forget the quiet kid from Season 1. Allan says that is the point: Ciri is figuring herself out, and it is messy by design.

'Ciri's no longer that innocent child we first met in season one. She's trying to figure out who she is and that unfortunately involves making some mistakes along the way. It's basically a heightened version of a typical coming of age.'

Allan admits it felt good to 'not feel like the child of the show anymore.' That said, two parts of her arc drew heat: the violent turn with the Rats and her first sexual relationship with fellow Rat Mistle. Fans pushed back, and those beats have been controversial among readers of Andrzej Sapkowski's books, too.

Then comes the season-ending shocker: Ciri cannot save the Rats, who are butchered by Leo Bonhart, a notorious witcher-killing bounty hunter. Allan says Netflix can be skittish about certain extremes, but she was relieved they went there this time.

'There are sometimes certain things that Netflix is afraid to bring to life but I'm glad they stuck to the books for that.'

She braced for impact when the season dropped and literally left the country to avoid the noise. In her words, it felt like a scary one with big, terrifying changes, so she removed herself as much as possible.

Henry out, Liam in, and Freya in the middle of it

Quick rewind: Henry Cavill was the in-house lore expert from day one. He loved the books, knew the games, and championed the canon on set. So when Netflix announced in October 2022 that he was stepping down after Season 3 and Liam Hemsworth would pick up the swords for Season 4, the fanbase went into meltdown mode. Allan took it hard too.

'I cried because I wanted to finish the show with the guy that played my adoptive father. For the first time, I was seeing what life away from The Witcher could look like and then the lead moves on...'

She did not bail. She says she and Hemsworth barely crossed paths while filming Season 4, and on set she still pictured Cavill as the father figure Ciri anchors to. But she is openly rooting for Hemsworth and asked fans to give him runway. He has been training, he is trying to bring the heart, and, as Allan puts it, he walked straight into a no-win internet warzone.

'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?'

Carrying the book torch

With Cavill gone, Allan says she started pushing harder for book-faithful moments. She was not shy about bringing scenes and lines to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich if she thought the adaptation was drifting.

'I really want to give fans what they want. I'd also seen Henry, who was so knowledgeable and loyal to the books, push for certain lines to be included. When he left, I was inspired to take on that role.'

Season 4 did not land as warmly as past seasons, and Allan was surprised by a recurring complaint: a lot of the choices people disliked were, in her words, straight out of the books.

'The thing that's surprised me most about season four is how many people have criticised things that are straight from the books.'

Quick catch-up

• Ciri's with the Rats this season, gets violent, and starts a relationship with Mistle; both drew heavy fan criticism (and were contentious among book readers too).
• The season ends with Leo Bonhart slaughtering the Rats while Ciri fails to save them; Allan is glad Netflix adapted that beat.
• Allan literally left the country around release to dodge the blowback, calling the season's changes scary.
• Henry Cavill exited in October 2022; Liam Hemsworth debuts as Geralt in Season 4. Allan stayed and wants fans to give him a chance.
• Post-Cavill, Allan pushed harder for book accuracy with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.
• Season 4 reviews were cooler than earlier seasons; Allan is baffled that many complaints target book-accurate moments.
• She says she cried a lot making the final season and that it took everything out of her, but she feels satisfied with where it ends.
• The Witcher Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix; the fifth and final season is expected in 2026.

One last note from Allan: after years of grime, blood, and grit, she jokes she would love a role where she can show up clean. After Season 4, that is fair.

'That final season took everything out of me, but I feel so incredibly satisfied.'