It’s never easy replacing a talented star in a strong role, but Liam Hemsworth is doing just that with the Netflix series The Witcher, taking over for Henry Cavill in portraying the character Geralt of Rivia.
And amid massive fan outcry to the recasting, Hemsworth, 35, is revealing the methods he took to ignore the naysayers and focus on the coveted role.
‘There was quite a bit of noise and I had to put that aside,’ the Melbourne, Australia-born actor told Entertainment Weekly Thursday. ‘It started to become a distraction.’
Liam is no stranger to the limelight amid his former marriage to musical megastar Miley Cyrus and key role as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games films.
The Emmy-nominated actor told the outlet that he ‘dealt with that sort of thing in the past a lot.’
Liam says that his passion for his craft led him to ditch his social media and online presence for a chunk of 2024 as he focused on the role.
Liam Hemsworth, 35, is revealing the methods he took to ignore the naysayers critical of his casting in The Witcher, replacing the outgoing Henry Cavill. Pictured in London in July
‘At the end of the day, I love making movies and I love telling stories and acting,’ Liam said. ‘I just don’t want any of that to affect my way of telling the story that I’m trying to tell.’
The Australian actor revealed: ‘I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year.’
Liam acknowledged it would not be an easy task to replace Cavill, who he said he’s ‘a massive fan of’ in the interview.
He added, ‘I’m a fan of what he did in the show.’
The show is filmed at Longcross Film Studios, which is about 25 miles from London.
Liam opened up about the massive amount of makeup it takes to transform him into the role.
‘It takes two or three people to put it on and off, but it looks really cool,’ Liam said.
The Independence Day: Resurgence star opened up about his cool down process during sweltering days of production on the series, which also features Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra.
Liam took over for Henry Cavill in portraying the character Geralt of Rivia
Cavill played Geralt of Rivia on the first three seasons of the popular streaming series
Cavill had nothing but reverence for Liam’s skill set as passed the baton of playing the demanding role in October of 2022
‘I go back to my tent where I’ve got an air conditioner and just try to get some air up the back of my chest plate,’ Hemsworth said.
While there was some pushback from fans after Liam was announced as the successor to Cavill, the outgoing actor had nothing but reverence for his colleague’s skill set as passed the baton of playing the demanding role.
‘In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf,’ Cavill said.
He continued: ‘As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.’
Cavill ended in saying, ‘Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him. Enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.’
Season four of The Witcher arrives on Netflix October 30.
