Henry Cavill is used to brawling on screen, having starred in the latest Mission: Impossible movie and portrayed Superman numerous times.
But the British actor still found himself challenged when training for his fight scenes in upcoming fantasy series The Witcher.
"[They're] a lot more weapon-based, a lot more technical," he told Digital Spy and other press when asked how they compare to Superman stunts. "I do love a good bit of sword fighting… The preparation for these fights was very, very difficult."
Related: The Witcher's Henry Cavill says Geralt is a "blend of Superman and Batman"
But the added accessories weren't the only reason the sequences were trickier to shoot than some of his past filmed fisticuffs – there were scheduling obstacles to overcome, too.
"We were very tight on time. Because I'm doing all my own stunts, they can't shoot parallel. They can't have a stunt team shooting this and then me shooting an acting scene," Cavill explained.
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"It was very important to me that I was doing it all it because it was a character I worked very hard on developing... I didn't want anyone else to potentially get it wrong.
"That's the reason why I pushed so hard to be a part of this show… It would hurt my heart a lot to see someone get it wrong.
"The preparation mostly came from an iPhone or a video which they sent me. I would try to learn the moves the night before… and then if that didn't work, because I was in bed, I would learn the fight moves on the day."
Based on Andrzej Sapkowski's best-selling novel series, Netflix's The Witcher follows Cavill's Geralt of Rivia, a reclusive monster hunter who becomes embroiled with a powerful sorceress and a young princess as he struggles to find his place in an increasingly corrupt world.
Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra also star.
The Witcher will premiere on Netflix on Friday (December 20).
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
