The Witcher S3: Who Plays Otto The Werewolf & What Do We Know From The Books?
"The Witcher" Season 3 has no shortage of monsters and beasts for Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and his team to encounter. However, not all of them are obstacles for Geralt to slay. In fact, audiences were introduced to a famous character from the book "Season of Storms" in the latest season in the form of Otto Dussart, played by Dempsey Bovell.
In the book, Otto is a lycanthrope, a.k.a. werewolf. His backstory, which he reiterates in the third episode of Season 3, is how he fled his village to escape the plague but was cursed to be a werewolf. The villagers subsequently hired Geralt to kill him, but upon realizing he meant no harm, Geralt spared him. Otto now uses an amulet to avoid reverting to his werewolf form.
Bovell does an exceptional job of instilling world-weariness in Otto. While he only appears in one episode in Season 3, Volume 1, hopefully, it's not the last time fans see him in live-action. Bovell has shown up in smaller roles in many high-profile projects, including an Imperial Clerk in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and Van-Zod in "Krypton." With three more episodes of "The Witcher" Season 3 coming out on July 27, it'd be great to see more of Otto going forward.
Otto saves Geralt's life in Season of Storms
"The Witcher" Season 3 has a perilous moment where Otto briefly loses his amulet and almost transforms into a werewolf. Fortunately, Geralt is able to put it back on just in time, but it would definitely satisfy Chekhov's gun to see Otto become a werewolf at some point, either in Volume 2 of the third season or later on. Otto plays an important role in "Season of Storms," where he aids Geralt in infiltrating a lair in order to pay back his debt. Otto goes with him and agrees to stay out front while Geralt ventures forward. Otto picks up the scent of someone else in the lair and ventures forth to see if Geralt needs assistance.
Just as Geralt's about to suffer a fatal blow, Otto appears and kills the assailant. It marks the first time he had ever killed someone as a werewolf, and feeling as though he has truly repaid his debt to Geralt, he returns home. "The Witcher" Season 3 doesn't contain all of this, but perhaps the writers are saving it for another story.
In "The Witcher" video games, werewolves function as enemies for Geralt to defeat, but Otto adds shades of gray to the monsters. He shows how they can still have control over their morality and human forms. It'd be great for the TV series to explore this dynamic further in subsequent episodes. As it stands, fans can see Otto now in "The Witcher" Season 3, Volume 1, now available on Netflix.