The Internet Is Losing It Over This Video Of Henry Cavill Reading The Witcher
Henry Cavill might have a future in audio books after his latest publicity stunt.
While promoting his upcoming Netflix series The Witcher, Cavill took some time out of his busy schedule to read some of the source text for his new show in a YouTube video, prompting enthusiastic reactions from fans. Cavill is taking on the title role of the Witcher himself; the series, which is based on the novels of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, tells the story of Geralt of Rivia, a witch hunter who must join forces with a sorceress to fight evil, supernatural beings in the fantastical world of the Continent.
After pouring himself a glass of whiskey from an ornate decanter, Cavill settles into a leather chair to read some of The Witcher out loud, and thanks to the actor's deep, soothing voice and British accent, the result is borderline hypnotic, and fans definitely took notice, judging by the YouTube comments.
As YouTube user Jah Mari succinctly put it, "I would like him to read the whole series damn it that was soothing," which seemed to be a pretty popular sentiment. User Brewgoth had similar feelings, writing, "Can't wait for this. I would like him to narrate the witcher audio books if possible," while user joshua smith seems like Netflix's target audience, writing, "Damnit just take my money I'll buy whatever he's selling."
Of course, there were plenty of thirsty comments about Cavill as well; ever since the actor played Superman, he's established himself as a bona fide Hollywood heartthrob, and to top of all off, the character of Geralt is apparently quite the womanizer.
As user Aldrin Partisala put it, "'And Geralt bed every lady he saw' [...] And there you go, the summary of the Witcher." Plenty of other fans weighed in on Cavill's physique and voice as well — as user Edward Yeung wrote, "Henry in the chair looks like a Greek god on his throne," while user Miriam A wondered how Cavill could even be human, writing, "It's strange how we're all the same species, however this man is just carved by the gods!"
Some users, like Lindsey Swann, would watch Cavill read literally anything: "This man could read me the freaking periodic table of elements and I would still be sweatin." Naturally, Cavill inspired some understandable envy as well; as R W T put it, "When I look at this man, and then at myself in the mirror, I cry a little."
The Witcher is already making waves
Netflix is promoting The Witcher pretty aggressively ahead of its release, and so far, it seems like the streaming network might very well have a pretty solid hit on its hands. The final trailer was released on December 12, 2019, a little over a week before its release, and reactions have already been overwhelmingly positive, with some observers (including The Verge) calling it the "fantasy epic that could replace Game of Thrones."
As for Cavill, the role of Geralt is one that he wanted unreasonably badly. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the star said that he was so determined to land the part — for which he beat out some 200 other actors — that he essentially pestered anyone who had anything to say about the casting until they gave in.
"When I heard they were making The Witcher, I obviously was incredibly excited, and I annoyed the living daylights out of my agents," he said. "I called them every day and said, 'Guys, now? Meeting now? How 'bout now?' And they eventually said, 'Look, they've brought on a showrunner, and we've called them, and they said, 'Look, we're not even close to that process yet," and I kept on pushing, pushing, pushing, and eventually I think Netflix just got tired."
Viewers will get to decide for themselves whether Cavill's efforts were worth it when The Witcher finally arrives on the streaming service, but if these early returns are any indication, fans have cause for excitement. The series hits Netflix on December 20, 2019.