One of the most iconic images in Netflix's first season of The Witcher is Henry Cavill soaking in Yennefer's bathtub, but it turns out he initially tried to make that more recognizable for fans of CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game. The show is first and foremost an adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's book series, thus far adapting his two short story collections, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. However, many fans were first introduced to the world through The Witcher's award winning and absurdly popular game series.
The books, games, and now The Witcher show follow the interlocking adventures of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Cirilla as they confront the harsh realities of war, political turmoil, and magical destiny in the unforgiving world of The Continent. The show has quickly become one of Netflix's biggest hits, and that is in large part because of the first season's ability to bring fans of the books and games together. Of course, this is much easier to accomplish when you have Witcher superfan Henry Cavill at the center of it all.
Speaking with BBC Radio 1, Cavill dove into his thought process in recreating Geralt's sultry bath scene and his anticipation of fan reactions to it. Cavill explained, "It's a very iconic moment and a lot of people are attributing that to the games and yes, the games absolutely brought that forward into an iconic moment, but it is also from the books and so I don't know how many people realized how iconic it was that there was already a visual attached." The actor then went on to discuss how he was feeling during the scene itself, saying, "When I was getting into that bath, I was sitting there thinking, 'I wonder if anyone knows how much this is going to explode this particular scene?' I was trying to put my feet up and I couldn't, the bath was the wrong shape, but I thought that might be a bit much as well."
For those that are unfamiliar, The Witcher 3 game begins with a flashback that includes Geralt bathing in the provocative position with his feet raised that Cavill sought to emulate. The scene received a ton of attention from fans when the game first released, and ever since it has taken on a life of its own outside of the game as a meme. For many, the first image that comes to mind when they think of the games isn't a sword fight or a monster, it's the bathtub. It makes sense then that the show thought to capitalize on the free viral marketing that would ensue.
Cavill is well known for his love of both The Witcher games and books, going so far as to refer to playing Geralt as his dream job in the aforementioned interview. Fans of the series in any medium are lucky to have one of their own tackling the role. He's a perfect nexus point for all factions of the fandom to rally behind and a living embodiment of the synergy The Witcher books, games, and show have enjoyed. Cavill's commitment to bringing the character to life in a way that bridges his depiction to the books and games is a definite highlight and one of the things that makes The Witcher so much fun.
Source: BBC Radio 1
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