The Witcher Creator Reveals the Moment Liam Hemsworth Proved He Was the Right Geralt
Exclusive: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich explains why Liam Hemsworth is stepping into Geralt’s boots in season 4—and why he’s the sharpest choice for the character’s most brutal arc yet.
Yes, The Witcher season 4 is almost here. Yes, Liam Hemsworth is stepping in as Geralt. And yes, people are still talking about it like the announcement just dropped. It didn’t — Netflix said way back in 2022 that Henry Cavill was out and Hemsworth was in. Predictably, swapping out the face of The White Wolf mid-run is a tough sell. But the folks making the show aren’t sweating it.
Why Hemsworth, and why now
Series creator and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich — who has steered every season of the Netflix adaptation — told GamesRadar+ she had zero doubt Hemsworth could deliver more than just a growl and a sword swing. She was looking for someone who could play a Geralt with actual cracks in the armor: emotional depth, vulnerability, even a guy who can fall in love while trudging through this big, messy, sprawling world. Not a Cavill impression, but a different take that fits where the story goes next.
The story context matters
This is the part that gets lost in the noise: season 4 picks up after Geralt gets absolutely wrecked by Vilgefortz at the end of season 3. The show is moving into a 'broken Geralt' chapter by design. Hissrich says when we meet him again, he’s in the worst shape we’ve ever seen.
- He was beaten by Vilgefortz and left seriously injured
- He’s in constant pain
- He’s lost his daughter and doesn’t know where she is
- He’s lost the love of his life
So the casting brief wasn’t just 'find a tough guy.' Hissrich wanted the familiar gruffness and action-hero presence, plus the undercurrent of a man who’s lost almost everything. According to her, Hemsworth threads that needle — emotional without feeling soft, vulnerable without oversharing every wound.
The look and the reality check
There’s also the obvious: Hemsworth looks like he can lift a broadsword with one hand and a kikimora with the other. Hissrich even joked about that. But the bigger thing, from her perspective, is what happened the moment he showed up on set. The blend of physicality and interior life clicked immediately.
'When he landed the first day, and he brought these two things together, that sort of emotional character piece and this sort of hulking physicality, we knew we’d made the right choice.'
That’s the behind-the-scenes logic here: the show needed a Geralt who’s not just a tank, but a tank with visible dents. Hemsworth isn’t replacing Cavill’s version so much as pivoting into a new phase the story actually requires.
The Witcher season 4 hits Netflix on October 30. We’ll see how it plays, but at least the creative intent is crystal clear.