There’s always value in being an originator, even if what comes after proves more prolific. Doug Cockle is the original English-speaking voice of Geralt of Rivia, stepping into the role for the first The Witcher, and he’s revealed that Henry Cavill, who brought the character into live-action on Netflix, actually invited him to the premiere, though it took some proof for him to humor the reach out.
Cockle spoke about the encounter during an interview with Ginx TV. “[Henry] gave me credit for a great performance, and said that my vocal performance as Geralt was influential in his decisions about his own performance,” he recalls, before providing a humorous anecdote about the pair meeting properly.
“Henry reached out, three or four weeks before the London premiere of the Netflix, and said, ‘Hey Doug, it’s Henry here, you want to come to the premiere?'” Cockle remembers. “I didn’t believe it was him at first; I kind of told him off, because I get a lot of weird DMs, and I thought this was probably some weirdo, and he sent me a picture!”
Generally, such precautions are good. There are a lot – a lot – of scammers on social media, and one of the most prevalent forms of trying to get in touch is by pretending to be someone famous or influential whom you already follow or potentially interact with.
Stories about people losing quite a lot of money to these crooks are heartbreakingly common. Thankfully, Cavill seems to have understood what was going on, and provided proof. Cockle went to the event, and the two talked a little about the grumpy protagonist and the franchise as a whole.
“We had a lovely chat, I hung out with him and his entourage for the evening,” he says. “By entourage, I mean his family.” Cavill has since abdicated the role, and Liam Hemsworth’s taken over. Cockle is still going strong with Geralt, returning for the Songs of the Past DLC and The Witcher 4. If Hemsworth ever decides to slide into those DMs, he better have a selfie ready.