Henry Cavill is no stranger to playing iconic characters: the actor is gearing up for a return to the DCEU as Superman, reprising his role as the legendary Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes 2, and is just coming off of a three-season run of playing Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's The Witcher – he is leaving the role soon, with Liam Hemsworth taking over for season 4.
During a press junket attended by Total Film, the actor discussed the challenges of taking on a famous character from an existing IP.
"I think that it is a bit of a trap to try and bring something new every time with these iconic characters – because they are so beloved already," Cavill explains. "And while it can be interesting to provide a slightly new twist to things, I think it's important to stay faithful and loyal to what these characters are without trying to be too different. Often a script alone will allow a sense of difference or a change in technology will allow a difference to be in there. But iconic characters are iconic for a reason, and I think meddling with them too much can lead down a tricky path."
"I would never change anything in Sherlock. It’s not my place to change anything in Sherlock," he says when asked what he likes and dislikes about the role. "But there is a certain glee I take out of his – what's the word? The fact that he's not socially aware. He will say what he's thinking and he will be totally fine with it, and he'll move on. And I think that there's a comedic essence to that, especially in Victorian England, where he's not necessarily conforming to the rules, he's just saying how it is."
When asked what makes him take on a role, iconic or otherwise, Cavill says that at this point in his career it was to be "something that I love."
"An IP that I love is always a draw," Cavill says. "It’s also incredibly important at this stage that if it's not necessarily an IP that – I mean, normally when a big IP comes in, you may sign on before anything's written and you may sign on as an actor. In the future, I'll hopefully sign on as a producer so I can be there from the beginning in the creative process."
Recent reports have alleged that Cavill's leaving The Witcher stemmed from a disagreement between him and the producers over Geralt's overall role in the show. It's possible that the actor wanted more involvement behind the scenes, and more of a say in his character's development and journey. Our interview took place before The Witcher news broke, so it's unclear whether his comments were directly related to his leaving the Netflix series.
Talking about playing Geralt directly, Cavill says that there really weren't any "challenges", and that the role was "an opportunity to really entertain the audience in a way which they potentially haven't been entertained before."
The actor can next be seen reprising his role as legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes 2, which drops November 4 exclusively on Netflix. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix movies to stream right now, or, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows.
