Season 4 of the hit Netflix adaptation recently began production.
The Big Picture
- Freya Allan’s journey to playing Ciri on
The Witcher
was filled with highs and lows, with her almost losing the role before ultimately nabbing it. - Allan’s confidence in embodying Ciri shone through in her audition, leading to her being cast in the role.
-
The Witcher
Season 4 is in production now with Liam Hemsworth taking over as Geralt.
Freya Allan feels like she was destined to play Princess Cirilla of Cintra on Netflix’s The Witcher. Through three seasons, the young actress has earned plaudits for her portrayal of one of the most beloved characters from Andrzej Sapkowski‘s books, even making the case for her to be the lead as the show has run on. She’s since spun that into a fast-rising career with an upcoming starring role as Mae in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which itself follows the horror film Baghead, which she led last year, and the star-studded Gunpowder Milkshake, where she appeared as the younger version of Karen Gillan‘s character. Before any of this became a reality, however, the road to playing Ciri was a roller coaster of emotion that nearly left her on the outside looking in, yet worked out in a way that felt like fate.
Ahead of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes arriving in theaters next week, Allan sat down with Perri Nemiroff for an interview as part of Collider Ladies Night, where they discussed everything from The Witcher Season 4 to the latest Apes installment from Wes Ball. At one point, she was asked about the audition process for the Netflix adaptation and her experience with the casting team as she formulated her take on Ciri. From the get-go, she already felt she looked the part of the Lion Cub of Cintra and could bring her best traits to life. Moreover, her confidence was only bolstered by everyone on the team who directed her audition and helped her mold what would eventually become the Ciri seen on-screen.
“Well, I Googled it before, and I thought, ‘Okay, I look quite like her,'” she said. “I feel like there were characteristics about her that I felt like I would be able to bring, so I was really excited. I went into that audition so prepared, and I came out, and they were just very welcoming and very warm, and good at giving direction.” Allan was riding high after the experience and felt like everything was coming together for her to nab that breakthrough role, but her hopes were quickly dashed by a single message sent to her mom.
“And usually, you don’t leave an audition feeling like, ‘I have a good feeling about this,’ and I actually
did
. Then my mum got this email saying that the studio was wanting to go in a different direction in terms of the way she looked, so I wasn’t that. It kind of broke my heart because I thought I
was
perfect for it, you know? Because so much is about everything aligning. You have to look right for it, you have to be the right age, all these things, and I thought it was all perfect, and then it wasn’t — for me.”
Freya Allan Knew She Was the Right Choice to Play Ciri
Fortunately, her journey to The Witcher had a happy ending. Before becoming Ciri, she had been in line to play another smaller role in the series because of the impression she made with her performance. That decision was quickly reversed, however, and her mother gave her the big news that she had another chance. From there, she knew that she was meant to embody the character, even as she still faced competition for the part.
“The casting people really liked me, and they were like, ‘We still want you in the show, so will you come and audition for this other character?’ So I did, and then they told me I got it. And then my mum showed up at my school one day, and instantly I knew, ‘They’ve changed their minds. They want to see me.’ I instantly knew. I was like, ‘Why has she showed up at my school?’ And she did, she came up to me, and she was like, ‘Freya, I’ve just got a call from your agent, and they want you to come in tomorrow for the role of Ciri. I just had to tell you! I had to come and pick you up and tell you,’ because she knew how much it had meant to me, and she’d been so supportive along the way. So yeah, I went in for Ciri again. I was up against one other person, and they gave me a big hug in the audition room, and I was like, ‘I feel like I got it.’ But then I had to wait, still, for it to all be confirmed, and then I found out the day before my birthday. It was amazing.”
The Witcherrecently entered production on Season 4 and, for the first time, Allan won’t be acting opposite Henry Cavill. In a controversial move, Liam Hemsworth will take over for the departed Man of Steel star as Geralt of Rivia, leaving room for a new dynamic between the two characters. They’ll start separated, however, as the new episodes will see them facing a war-torn, demon-infested world with their respective groups. Ciri fell in with the Rats at the end of Season 3 and, as Allan said last year, she’ll embrace her darker side a little more, creating complications for when she reunites with her adoptive parents, Geralt and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on The Witcher Season 4 as production continues and follow our handy guide for everything we know so far about the series’ return. Allan will next be seen in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which premieres in theaters on May 10. Keep an eye out for Nemiroff’s full interview with her for Collider Ladies Night.
The Witcher
Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
- Release Date
- December 20, 2019
- Creator
- Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
- Cast
- Henry Cavill , Freya Allan , Anya Chalotra , Mimi Ndiweni , Eamon Farren
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 4
This article was originally published on collider.com