Viewers are still buzzing about season 3 of The Witcher, as they completely ate up Henry Cavill’s final outing as Geralt of Rivia. Why is this Henry Cavill as we know him’s last outing, you might ask?
The beloved actor will be replaced, following season three’s second part, by incoming actor Liam Hemsworth. Hemsworth will take on the role of Geralt, rather than portray a different character, and the controversial decision has seen The Witcher come under frequent fire from its viewer base. It’s tainting enjoyment of the show’s recently released season three, but not quite enough to turn the bulk of viewers away.
Part of that is thanks to Cavill, whose depiction of Geralt has prompted widespread praise, and the rest is thanks to the remainder of the cast. Additional favorites like Anya Chalotra, who plays Yennefer, Joey Batey, who plays Jaskier, and Freya Allan, who plays Ciri, all pull in plenty of fans themselves, and those fans might even return following Hemsworth’s official entrance.
Characters like Ciri have been dazzling audiences for seasons now, but the young Allan occasionally sparks confusion. We’ve seen her grow up before our very eyes, over the course of two and a half seasons, and it’s throwing some fans for a loop.
Is this the same Ciri we’ve come to know so far in The Witcher story, or is a new actress bringing her to life?
Who plays Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher?
The Witcher‘s Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon is brilliantly played by Freya Allan, an English actress hailing from Oxfordshire.
The young Allan was first tapped to play Ciri back in 2018, fresh off the heels of her first-ever onscreen appearances. Allan properly broke into the acting scene a year earlier, in 2017, with the release of several short films — including Bluebird and Captain Fierce — and, a year later, her first television show, Into the Badlands. From there, her path to The Witcher was paved in monster-killing silver, leaving her with no way to go but up.
The Witcher‘s success gave Allan’s career a solid boost, allowing her to appear in a range of projects following its 2019 debut. She’s since appeared in 2020’s The Third Day, 2021’s Gunpowder Milkshake, and she’s set to grace the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Baghead.
Did anyone else ever play Ciri?
Only one actress has ever taken on the princess of Cintra in live-action. Allan never swapped out with another actress, despite fan confusion, and has portrayed the character through each of The Witcher‘s existing seasons. She’s changed quite a bit in that time, however, which is likely the culprit behind viewer confusion.
When The Witcher first started filming in 2018, Allan was still a teenager. Born in 2001, she was only 17 years old when she was cast as Ciri, and she plays into the role’s younger requirements well. The delays of the COVID-19 pandemic set the show back a bit, and gave just enough space for Allan to grow up significantly between seasons of the series.
She already looked older in season two, but the show’s careful work in making her look youthful paid off. By season three, however, her age — she’s already 21! — was starting to truly catch up, and Allan was starting to look like a proper adult.
This sparked concerns that the part of Ciri had been recast, with Allan ousted as Geralt’s eager young ward. Thankfully, those concerns are unwarranted, albeit reasonable, and Allan’s position as Ciri remains unchanged.
She’ll likely remain in the character for the remainder of the show — barring any more massively unpopular recastings — and serve up plenty more memorable Ciri moments before her time in the part is up.
