Henry Cavill made quite the impression as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Season 1. He came across as a hardened warrior dedicated to the Witcher creed who was very capable of slaying the most dangerous monsters. Yes, there were some budding friendships and relationships in the mix, but Season 2 is going to put Geralt’s people skills to the test more so than ever now that he’s found Cirilla (Freya Allan).

Season 2 picks up after the Battle of Sodden. Assuming Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) died in battle and knowing Ciri’s wellbeing is top priority, Geralt opts to take her to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While there, he’ll be able to reconnect with his brothers, restock on Witcher necessities and also have time to get to know Ciri, learn more about her past and who she really is. But in order to do so, he’ll have to tap into qualities we didn’t see much of in Season 1 of the series.

Henry Cavill in The Witcher
Image via Netflix

With The Witcher Season 2 about to drop on Netflix, I got the chance to chat with Cavill about some of his high priority goals for the character this time around. Here’s what he said when asked what Season 1 feedback from fans he strove to apply to the character in Season 2:

“The biggest piece was I wanted to represent as much of a book-accurate Geralt as possible and a lot of the fans did as well, and so I campaigned really hard to make sure that he was more verbose, he sounded more intellectual, his choice of words was more thought out and that his approach to Cirilla and everyone else wasn’t antagonistic. Because it initially came across as he was just grumpy all the time with everyone and everything and I really wanted to show this three-dimensional character where instead of him fighting with everyone, whether it be Cirilla or whether it be the Witchers, I wanted to show him being intellectual and thoughtful and, yes, have disagreements, but also show his approach as someone who’s been alive for 70+ years.”

Henry Cavill, Freya Allen and Kim Bodnia in The Witcher
Image via Netflix

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Focusing on those particular qualities comes in handy in a number of different respects, but especially when it comes to the evolving relationship between Geralt and Ciri. The only way Geralt will truly be able to keep Ciri out of harm’s way and find the best path forward for her is by learning more about who she really is, and the only way he’ll be able to access that information is by expressing a degree of warmth and understanding. Cavill continued:

“He’s not gonna be a fool and so when he’s trying to draw information out of Ciri and find out what her story is and what she’s about, he’s not gonna push her into a corner and start shouting at her until she gives her information. He’s going to tell a story of his own for example and then wait and see what she has to say, and if she doesn’t say anything, then ask a question or tell another story until eventually she feels comfortable and she feels in the company of someone who has also been through traumatic experiences so she can then share. And that was really, really important for me, so he wasn’t just this two-dimensional grumpy snowman and, in fact, he was a three-dimensional character. And it’s gonna be tough to do the stuff which is as brilliant as [Andrzej] Sapkowski’s writing, but it’s something I’m always gonna campaign for and it’s hopefully fit into the vision of the show.”

Henry Cavill in The Witcher
Image via Netflix

Eager to hear more from Cavill about his experience working on The Witcher Season 2 and also what’s fueling his drive to continue playing Superman? Check out our full conversation in the video at the top of this article!