While Henry Cavill may be 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. Now, their Geralts converge: Cockle lends his iconic voice to Netflix's animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.

Interestingly, Cockle wasn't asked to emulate Henry Cavill or Liam Hemsworth's portrayal. This allowed him to reprise his signature gravelly voice, unchanged from nearly 20 years of embodying Geralt. Fans will hear the same voice they've known and loved.

Cockle developed that voice in 2005, during the first Witcher game's recording. "The voice itself was the most challenging aspect," he recalls. "Initially, Geralt's voice was very low in my register; I had to push it." With little guidance on session lengths, he spent eight to nine hours daily, straining his voice. "I'd return to my hotel thinking, 'Wow, my throat is shredded!'" This continued into The Witcher 2, but his vocal cords eventually adapted, a process he jokingly compares to an athlete's muscle training.

The release of The Last Wish in English marked a turning point during Witcher 2's development. "The books started coming out in English while recording," Cockle explains. "Before, CD Projekt Red guided me. But once The Last Wish was available, I devoured it. Reading it clarified aspects of Geralt I hadn't understood before." This deepened his understanding of Geralt's emotional restraint, a characteristic initially difficult to grasp.

"The developers kept saying, 'He's emotionless'," Cockle notes. "I understood their direction, but as an actor, I wanted to explore emotions. Reading the book helped me understand their push for emotional flatness."

Cockle fell in love with Sapkowski's writing, connecting with the fantasy world, much like his childhood experience with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Season of Storms remains a favorite, a story he'd relish voicing should Netflix require it. "It's horrible and awful, yet thrilling," he says, highlighting the graphic fight scenes as perfect anime or TV episode material.

While Sirens of the Deep showcases Cockle's familiar voice, a unique challenge emerged: speaking Mermaid. "It was incredibly difficult," he admits. "I had phonetic spellings, but the actual recording was harder than anticipated."

Cockle's return to video games in The Witcher 4 (revealed at The Game Awards) promises a smoother experience. With Geralt in a supporting role, focusing on Ciri, the dialogue load is significantly less. While remaining tight-lipped about specifics, Cockle expresses excitement about the shift in perspective.

"Shifting to Ciri is a brilliant move," he says. "Continuing the saga with her is interesting, especially considering events in the books. I'm thrilled to see what they've done."

For more on CD Projekt Red's plans, explore our interview with the creators of The Witcher 4. To see more of Doug Cockle, watch The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep on Netflix, or find him on Instagram, Cameo, and X.

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