Geralt’s original actor from the games, Doug Cockle, is honored to step into another dimension of The Witcher universe by voicing the character in Netflix’s new animated movie Sirens of the Deep. Cockle has been deeply invested in the world of The Witcher since he began working on the first game in 2005, even reading Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels as soon as they were available in English to better understand Geralt of Rivia. Thus, he was the perfect choice to bring the beloved Witcher to animated life when retelling one of Sapkowski’s best short stories, “A Little Sacrifice.”

Fans who have grown restless waiting for The Witcher season 4 — and anxious about the changes it will bring — can sink their teeth into Sirens of the Deep instead, which has the added comfort of being set within the timeline of the show’s first season. Of course, Cockle is quick to note that he feels the movie “stands on its own” and is not strictly show canon, but it nevertheless takes viewers back to the early days of Geralt and Jaskier traveling together while maintaining the all-too-important thread of his connection to Yennefer alive. But he has monsters to kill and humans to judge unworthy in Sirens of the Deep, which features an intriguing murder mystery and star-crossed interspecies romance at its center.

ScreenRant interviewed Cockle about reprising the role of Geralt in The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, and how only one thing tripped him up about stepping back into a character who feels like a second skin. The veteran Witcher also shared his thoughts on Geralt’s romance with Yennefer, the casting switch from Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth in the live-action series, and what to expect from his return to the games in The Witcher 4.

Doug Cockle Knows Geralt Like The Back Of His Hand – But The Witcher Anime Presented 1 Challenge

Geralt Of Rivia “Is Not Known For His Musical Vocal Range”

ScreenRant: This is your first time voicing Geralt of Rivia outside of the games. What is the biggest difference in your approach this time around, if there is one?

Doug Cockle: The main difference is that I knew the short story before I was cast to play Geralt in the anime, whereas for the games, I’m learning the story as I record. With this project, I went in knowing the beginning, middle, and end of the story, which is nice.

I often compare games to improv in some ways because, more often than not, you are sight-reading the lines. You’ve never seen them before, so you’re sight-reading and acting at the same time.

ScreenRant: How has Geralt evolved for you since you started voicing him a few decades ago?

Doug Cockle: When I first started recording The Witcher back in 2005, the books weren’t out in English, so that’s probably been the biggest evolution in terms of my understanding of Geralt and what makes him tick. For the first game and part of the second, the original source material wasn’t available to me, so my understanding of the world of The Witcher was entirely from CD Projekt RED and the developers there, but that’s different from experiencing it yourself.

Once I was able to pick up a book and read Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantastic writing in English, it opened up a perspective on and a perception of Geralt that I could not achieve before. This project also had a new understanding of Merspeak, for example.

ScreenRant: What does Merspeak look like on the page, and how did you perfect it in the recording booth?

Doug Cockle: A couple of weeks before we started recording, I was sent some audio files with somebody speaking my lines in Merspeak. They also gave me the lines written in Merspeak with an English alphabet, and a phonetic version of the lines as well. I could see how Merspeak sounds at each individual syllable, and that was fascinating.

I did my homework and practiced. I love languages, so I really enjoyed that. Then I went in to record it, and it was a new challenge because what I hadn’t taken into account was the musicality that they wanted for the Merspeak. It’s hard enough just to speak these words that are foreign to you. But then I also had to make it musical as Geralt, who is not known for his musical vocal range.

The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep Offers 2 Romantic Options For Geralt

Doug Cockle Reveals Geralt’s Feelings For Essie & Yennefer

ScreenRant: It’s a good thing that he had Essie as an additional translator, and we get to see their romance arc in this anime. What do you think stands out about Essie, and what makes this romance so different from his overarching push-and-pull with Yennefer?

Doug Cockle: She’s easy, and I don’t mean that in the pejorative sense. I mean that Yen is so complicated, and their relationship is so complicated, that Essie feels like a nice, warm bath to slip into.

She’s fun, she’s intelligent, and she reminds me a lot of Shani in the books. She’s a similar kind of spirit who adores Geralt and would really like him to stick around because she thinks that perhaps there’s something here. But Geralt’s got to go off on his wandering ways. And besides, there’s Yen.

ScreenRant: Geralt and Yennefer can turn anything into a fight that lasts from days to decades, which Sirens of the Deep serves us another example of. What is your diagnosis of their damage, and what would it take for them to find happiness?

Doug Cockle: I don’t know. I have no idea! That relationship is in all kinds of trouble, but the pᴀssion is there. The pᴀssion is everything.

Sirens Of The Deep’s Canon Status Within The Witcher Addressed

Doug Cockle Also Has Warm Words For Both Henry Cavill & Liam Hemsworth

ScreenRant: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is a producer on this as well as on The Witcher. Did you discuss where this falls in the show’s timeline, or if it does at all?

Doug Cockle: Ostensibly, because Geralt and Yen are in an on-again, off-again relationship, this is an off-again period of time. They’ve had an altercation, and they’ve gone their separate ways, but they are still both very much obsessed with each other. And I believe Geralt has just claimed his child of surprise, which is Ciri. They’re not united yet, but that’s where this falls in the canon of the story overall.

Whether it’s the same Witcher world or not, I think that’s for other people to decide, but I don’t think so. I think, just like with everything else, it stands on its own. The books stand on their own, the game stands on its own, the TV series stands on its own, and this too stands on its own. But it’s in The Witcher world, and I think that fans of The Witcher in any form are going to like this anime. It’s really good, and it follows the original short story quite closely.

ScreenRant: Have you gotten to watch the television show? What were your thoughts on Henry’s version of Geralt, and what do you hope or expect to see from his evolution into Liam?

Doug Cockle: Yeah, Henry was great. Henry was a really wonderful Geralt, and I was sad to see him go, but I’m really excited to see what Liam brings to the party. Every actor brings something different to a role, and this is no different. I bring what I bring to my version of Geralt, Henry brought what he brought — and I’ve really liked what he brought.

And Liam, he’s fantastic. He does these wonderful films, and he was great in The Hunger Games, so he’ll bring whatever his version of Geralt is, and I just can’t wait to see what that is. I think it’s going to be good.

Doug Cockle Shares His Take On The Witcher 4’s Story & His Hopes For The Franchise’s Future

The Voice Actor Also Gives Some Love To Bhaal In Baldur’s Gate III

ScreenRant: Sirens of the Deep ended with the implication of another adventure. Is that something you want to do, and is that something that’s already been discussed? If so, what book or game adventures would you like to see animated?

Doug Cockle: If there is a plan to make more animes, it hasn’t been discussed with me, so I don’t know. But you’re right, it lends itself to another one being made. If they do, and if they invite me back, I will say yes! I would love to be part of it.

Again, I love Geralt so much. He’s been such a big part of my life, and I feel like he’s part of me now. Any opportunity I get to go back to Geralt and his world and his adventures is one I will jump on.

ScreenRant: We have been waiting many moons for The Witcher 4. I know it’s been very hush-hush, but do you know for sure if you are a part of it?

Doug Cockle: I can confirm that, yes, Geralt is in The Witcher 4. I honestly don’t know the extent of his involvement, but I do know that I will be voicing Geralt. That’s actually all I know.

ScreenRant: In the hopes and dreams category, how would you like to see the world of The Witcher expanded in the new game?

Doug Cockle: I think it’s really exciting that they’re exploring Ciri as a protagonist. I always felt that was a potentially good move because of what happens in the books, so I’m excited to see where they take that.

Maybe they could do a mobile game like Stardew Valley, but it’s Geralt at Corvo Bianco, tending to his vineyards and chasing rats out of the cellar. We could be watching Geralt watering his plants.

ScreenRant: You were also part of another incredible franchise, Baldur’s Gate III, which also seems ripe for its own animation or live-action adaptation. Is that something you’d like to see, and would you want to play Bhaal again, or would you like to try out someone else?

Doug Cockle: In the spirit of the wonderful diversity and inclusivity that the game offers to its players, I will be anything at all. I love the game. Baldur’s Gate III is a fantastic game, and I loved playing Bhaal.

Depending on your choices in the game, especially if you do a Dark Urge run, he’s an important character. But there’s not a lot of him, so I would love to have a character that is more a part of the story arc for the player. That would be fun for the next Baldur’s Gate.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep begins streaming February 11 on Netflix.