Why Chris Fulton Left The Witcher? Meet The New Actor Playing Rience
Geralt was not the only character to be recast.
The third season of The Witcher has finally reached our screens. We know that this season will be the last for the leading actor portraying Geralt of Rivia, Henry Cavill. He is to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth.
But Cavill isn't the only actor to leave the project. Chris Fulton, who played the violent yet inept fire wizard Rience, left the role at the end of the second season and had to be replaced. But what was the reason for the recasting, and who is the new Rience?
Rience appeared in Season 2 as a mage who had to capture Ciri on behalf of a mysterious employer. In the end, all his attempts failed as he was hindered by Jaskier, Geralt, and Yennefer, who left a terrible burn on the hapless mage's face.
Chris Fulton's departure was announced last August. He was replaced by Sam Woolf, who has a similar appearance, but the decision was met with scepticism by some fans, as replacing actors in recurring roles always comes with risks.
Fulton is also known for his role as Sir Phillip Crane in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Fans felt that he probably left The Witcher because his Briderton character was going to get a lot more screen time in future seasons as he's supposed to be Eloise Bridgerton's future husband.
However, it wasn't his work on Bridgerton that clashed with his involvement on The Witcher, but rather his casting in the new season of Outlander, another show based on a book series(we can only assume Fulton has read all three of them). Fulton will be appearing on Outlander as Rob Cameron, one of the season's antagonists if the Outlander's writers remain sufficiently faithful to the source material.
As for Sam Woolf, who replaced Fulton in The Witcher, he is best known for his role as Prince Edward in the fifth season of The Crown. People who've already seen The Witcher's third season say Sam Wolfe makes a pretty good replacement for the role. Fans are still sad to see Fulton go, but at least the role hasn't been ruined by the substitute.
'Well, he's not bad, but he's not half as scary. I still miss Chris Fulton,' a fan remarked.
But then again, while the new Rience may not be scary enough for some, many have noted that he's exactly what he's supposed to be.
'That was kind of the point of his character in the books, though he doesn't really show up much until what I imagine will be the end of season 3,' another fan noted.
The first part of The Witcher Season 3 was released on 29 June. The second part will be available on 27 July.