While Henry Cavill is undeniably the most famous actor to portray Geralt of Rivia, Doug Cockle—the voice of Geralt in CD Projekt Red's acclaimed RPG series—remains the definitive White Wolf for many gamers. Their Geralts have now converged, with Cockle lending his iconic voice to Netflix's animated film, *The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep*.
Interestingly, Cockle wasn't asked to emulate either Henry Cavill or Liam Hemsworth's portrayal. This allowed him to reprise his signature gravelly tones, the same voice fans have cherished for nearly two decades, unchanged and instantly recognizable.
Cockle developed that distinctive voice back in 2005, during the recording of the first *Witcher* game. "The most challenging aspect of recording *Witcher 1* was the voice itself," he recalls. "Initially, Geralt's voice was very low in my register; I had to push it." With little guidance on recording session lengths, he spent eight to nine hours daily, leaving him vocally exhausted. This continued into *The Witcher 2*, but his vocal cords eventually adapted, a process he humorously compares to an athlete's training.
The release of *The Last Wish* in English marked a significant turning point. "The books started coming out in English while recording *Witcher 2*," he explains. "Before that, CD Projekt Red guided me. But as soon as *The Last Wish* was released, I devoured it. Reading it gave me a deeper understanding of Geralt than I'd had before." This clarified the developers' request for a more emotionally restrained performance.
"The developers kept saying, 'He's emotionless'," Cockle says. "I understood their point, but as an actor, I wanted to explore emotions. Reading the book helped me understand why they wanted a flat emotional portrayal."
Cockle embraced Sapkowski's writing, drawing parallels to Tolkien's *Lord of the Rings*. *Season of Storms* stands out as a favorite, a story he'd love to voice should Netflix require his services again. "It's horrible and awful, but thrilling," he says. "The graphic fight scenes would be amazing in anime or a TV episode."
In *Sirens of the Deep*, a dark reimagining of *The Little Mermaid*, Cockle's Geralt is involved in a conflict between kingdoms. While the action is intense, Cockle appreciates the lighter moments, particularly a humorous exchange with Jaskier. This highlights Geralt's softer side, often overlooked.
"I enjoy the gravitas of Geralt, but I also like his attempts at humor, even if they usually fall flat," Cockle explains. "It's about exploring the different facets of a character's personality."
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While *Sirens of the Deep* mostly relied on his established voice, Cockle faced a unique challenge: speaking Mermaid. "It was harder than I thought," he admits. "I had phonetic spellings, but the actual performance was difficult."
His return to video games in *The Witcher 4*, announced at The Game Awards, promises a smoother experience. With Geralt in a supporting role, focusing on Ciri, the dialogue load will be significantly less. Cockle remains tight-lipped about the game, expressing excitement about the shift in perspective.
"Shifting to Ciri is a great move," he says. "Continuing the saga with Ciri's perspective is interesting, especially considering events in the books. I'm excited to see what they've done."
For more on *The Witcher 4*, check out our interview with the creators. To see more of Doug Cockle, watch *The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep* on Netflix, or find him on Instagram, Cameo, and X.
