While Henry Cavill may be the most well-known actor to have portrayed Geralt of Rivia, within the gaming community, it's Doug Cockle who is revered as the definitive voice of the character from CD Projekt Red's critically acclaimed RPG series. Now, the paths of Cavill and Cockle's portrayals have converged, as Cockle lends his iconic voice to the animated film, "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep," produced by Netflix.
In this new project, Cockle doesn't mimic the live-action Geralt portrayed by Cavill or Liam Hemsworth, who will take over the role in the upcoming season. Instead, he was encouraged to use the same approach that has defined his portrayal for nearly two decades, ensuring fans hear the familiar, gravelly tones they've come to love.
Cockle first crafted Geralt's distinctive voice for the original Witcher video game in 2005. "The most challenging aspect of recording Witcher 1 was the voice itself," he recalls. "Initially, Geralt's voice was very low in my register, something I had to push towards." At the time, without clear guidelines on session durations, Cockle found himself recording for up to nine hours a day, leaving his throat strained. This challenge persisted into the recording of The Witcher 2, but over time, his vocal cords adapted, becoming more accustomed to the demands of the role—much like an athlete conditioning their muscles.
During the development of the second game, another significant change occurred as the English translations of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books became available. "The books started to come out in English while I was recording Witcher 2," Cockle explains. "Before that, the developers at CD Projekt Red were my primary source of information about Geralt. Once 'The Last Wish' was released in English, I eagerly bought it and devoured it, gaining a deeper understanding of Geralt's character that I hadn't grasped before."
Cockle notes that the developers emphasized Geralt's emotionless nature, which he initially found challenging as an actor keen on exploring emotional depth. "The developers kept saying, 'He's emotionless'," Cockle says. "I understood better after reading the book why they wanted his emotional life to be as flat as possible."
Cockle's appreciation for Sapkowski's work grew rapidly, particularly admiring "Season of Storms," a story he hopes to voice should Netflix explore it further. "It's a thrilling, albeit grim, tale with vivid fight scenes that I think would make for an exciting anime or TV episode," he says.
In "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep," based on the short story "A Little Sacrifice" from the "Sword of Destiny" collection, Cockle's Geralt is drawn into a conflict between kingdoms following a romantic entanglement between a mermaid and a human prince. While the film offers intense action and political intrigue, Cockle appreciates the lighter moments, such as a humorous campfire exchange with Jaskier, showcasing Geralt's often overlooked lighter side.
"I enjoy the gravitas of Geralt when he's serious, but I also like those moments when he tries to be light-hearted," Cockle explains. "Even though his attempts at humor often fall flat, it's an important aspect of his personality."
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While much of Cockle's work on "Sirens of the Deep" involved using his well-known voice, he faced a unique challenge: speaking a fictional language, that of the mermaids. "It was difficult," he admits. "I had phonetic spellings to practice, but performing it was harder than I anticipated."
Cockle is set to return to the world of video games with "The Witcher 4," where Geralt will play a supporting role to Ciri, his adoptive daughter, who takes center stage. "Returning to my original version of Geralt will feel like slipping into a comfortable pair of slippers," Cockle says. "And with less dialogue to record, it should be even easier."
While Cockle remains tight-lipped about "The Witcher 4," he expresses enthusiasm for the shift in focus to Ciri, citing it as a promising direction for the series. "Switching the story's perspective to Ciri is exciting, especially given the events in the books," he says, encouraging fans to explore the novels themselves.
For more insights into CD Projekt Red's plans, check out our detailed interview with the creators of "The Witcher 4." And to see more of Doug Cockle, watch "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep" on Netflix or follow him on Instagram, Cameo, and X.
