The Witcher cast only found out Henry Cavill was leaving a day before the rest of the world did

When Henry Cavill announced he was leaving The Witcher last year, fans went into mourning - however, they weren’t the only ones.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the cast were also in shock after having found out the star was exiting the show just a day before the public did. See what they had to tell us below:

But what would make Cavill, a self-confessed The Witcher superfan, quit his dream job?

Prior to picking up his iconic silver sword, the actor was a fan of the original books by Andrzej Sapkowski - as well as the video games they inspired.

Having been fully versed in The Witcher lore for decades, the 40-year-old was eager to be cast as the often grumpy hero, Geralt of Rivia.

Cavill even went as far as begging his agents to get him an audition for the epic fantasy series, with another 207 actors also being considered before he was chosen.

Though his persistence paid off, he would leave just three years later after reprising his role as Superman - only to be ditched by DC Studios a few weeks later.

In October 2022, the actor took to Instagram to let the world know he would no longer be Geralt, alongside a photo of his prized silver medallion.

Not only was it heart-breaking for the Cavill himself, but also for his co-stars who only found out the day before the rest of the world did.

Ahead of the third season of The Witcher, which will be Cavill’s last, the cast has spoken candidly about their co-star’s departure.

In fact, Freya Allen, who plays Princess Cirilla in the Netflix show, revealed that the UK premiere would be the send-off for their castmate.

Nicky / Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking exclusively to UNILAD, she said: “We found out quite a few months after wrap, so there wasn't really a goodbye then. And we found out the day before the world found out, so we were all finding out together really.”

“I think we all cried. I know I cried when I heard, I was just kind of shocked,” Allen added. “I think the premiere will kind of be our send-off.”

However, the cast does have a memento from their time with Cavill, according to Joey Batey, who plays loveable bard, Jaskier.

“Every season Henry's gifted medallions to the casting crew and stuff with notes - to thank them for their hard work. It’s usually a coin… but this season, it was a little medallion. It was the Witcher medallions that were minted specifically for the show,” revealed Batey, who joked that he ‘chucked them in the bin’ usually.

Surely, he should have tossed the coin instead?

The Witcher Vol 1. is available to stream on Netflix from 29 June.

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