The Witcher Star Picks His Favorite Geralt — And It’s Not Who You Think
As fans split between Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth, The Witcher stalwart Joey Batey has picked his Geralt, backing Hemsworth for a fantastic look and a fresh spark that he says is lighting up the show.
The Geralt handoff is officially underway, and the people who actually work on The Witcher are already picking sides. One of them has a front-row seat: Joey Batey, our resident bard Jaskier, who has been trading barbs with Geralt since day one. He just weighed in on Liam Hemsworth stepping into the armor, and he did not hedge.
Jaskier has a favorite White Wolf
Talking to SFX Magazine (via CinemaBlend), Batey said Hemsworth showed up like he had been playing Geralt for years. He praised the way Liam fights on screen, the ideas he brought into rehearsal, and the way those conversations kept flowing with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. He also added that Hemsworth is, frankly, just fun to be around on set.
'He brought this almost animalistic nature to the fights... And Liam took total ownership of the role from day one... He turned up and cared.'
Translation: Hemsworth came in prepared, collaborative, and fully locked in on making the character his. That sort of nerdy behind-the-scenes detail tends to separate a good recast from a placeholder.
How Liam Hemsworth actually got Geralt
Per Hissrich in Entertainment Weekly, Hemsworth’s name has been on The Witcher whiteboard for a long time as a potential Geralt. When Henry Cavill exited, she championed Liam first. Hemsworth’s a longtime fan thanks to the games, but he still didn’t see this one coming.
'It came out of nowhere. I was as surprised as anyone.'
When the casting news detonated online, Hemsworth says he tuned out the discourse to keep his head on straight: 'I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year.' He didn’t want comparisons with Cavill to swamp his approach. In fact, he set out to build a different Geralt. So far, based on early reviews, he’s done exactly that — admittedly, the side-by-side comparisons are never going away.
Cavill vs. Hemsworth: same legend, different flavor
- Henry Cavill (2019–Season 3): If you wanted a lore-faithful, quietly imposing witcher, this was your guy. Cavill’s version felt like a scholar-warrior — stoic, philosophical, but empathetic — with the physicality and gravelly voice to match. He played Geralt like a battle-worn knight who has made too many hard calls.
- Liam Hemsworth (Season 4 on): Hemsworth leans into Geralt’s monster-hunter instincts and sharper temper, with a little more humor in the mix. The read is lighter, more outwardly human, and more volatile in combat — that 'animalistic' edge Batey called out.
It’s less about who is better and more about what version you prefer. Cavill carved out the canonical, lore-forward swordsman. Hemsworth looks poised to deliver the more humanized take — a Geralt still figuring out how to live with the legend that follows him.
Where to watch
The Witcher is streaming on Netflix. Which Geralt are you riding with?