The Witcher star Liam Hemsworth reveals why he was "reluctant" to take over from Henry Cavill in season 4

New season, new Geralt! Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you may have heard that Liam Hemsworth is taking over from Henry Cavill in season 4 of The Witcher – and everyone's got an opinion.

Now, ahead of season 4 arriving on Netflix, Hemsworth has told us how he was initially "reluctant" to step into the role of the White Wolf and had a fair few concerns about following in Cavill's footsteps.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, The Hunger Games star admitted: "When I first got approached, I was pretty reluctant at that point. [I had] a lot of concerns and questions about it all. I was a big fan of the video game and then I watched the series, and was a fan of the series, and I read the books."

Asked what specifically he was reluctant about, he reflected: "Just the situation [of] coming into a series that's already established a really passionate fanbase. I appreciate these fans, and I appreciate the fact that they care so much about it.

"I think if I wasn't a fan myself, if I didn't care about it, I wouldn't have come on board. The reason I came on board was because I was a fan, and because I thought that I could do justice to this character. I thought that could bring an interesting interpretation to this part of the story."

He added: "I think what excited me the most was where Geralt is at this part of the story – his emotional state, and where he's heading. I think he's in a very real place of change and a place that I don't think he's been in often in his life. There's a lot of doubt and confusion and worry."

Hemsworth added: "He's actually in a place where, not only does he have to overcome his own stuff, but it's through opening up and realising that he's not going to be able to do this on his own, and he needs to accept that he's vulnerable right now, that he's not strong enough to do what he needs to do.

"It's through these other people around him that he sees how much love and care and how much they believe in his journey and his mission right now, that he's able to lean on them and accept that help and he's really able to push forward and find himself again and find a new version of himself."

Meanwhile, showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich also reflected on the recasting, telling us: "We knew there were things that were really important to keep with Geralt – obviously, his look has to stay the same.

"He's a different human being, but I think there's so many things that are sort of synonymous with Geralt – the white wig and the yellow eyes and the black leather and not wearing any colour, and the way he walks through the world.

"Those things had to stay, but really, those conversations were so driven by Liam the first time that we met. He needed to make Geralt his, and it was really important to let him do that and let him explore it and find it."

Cavill announced he was stepping down as Geralt in 2022, sharing a message of support for his successor.

Now, as the penultimate season approaches, fans have been given glimpses of Hemsworth's Geralt in various first looks and a more recent trailer, but they'll have to wait until the season drops to see him in full force.

It's almost time – the White Wolf awaits!

The Witcher season 4 will be released on 30th October on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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