While Henry Cavill may be the most recognizable face to have portrayed Geralt of Rivia, within the gaming community, Doug Cockle is revered as the definitive voice of the White Wolf, thanks to his role in CD Projekt Red's acclaimed RPG series. Now, the worlds of Cavill and Cockle's Geralts have intertwined, with Cockle lending his iconic voice to the character in Netflix's new animated film, "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep."

In this new venture, Cockle does not play the same Geralt as seen in the games, nor was he directed to mimic the mannerisms of Henry Cavill or Liam Hemsworth, who will take over the role in the upcoming season of the live-action series. This creative choice allowed Cockle to maintain the distinctive, gravelly tone that fans have cherished for nearly two decades.

Cockle developed this unique voice back in 2005 while recording for the first Witcher game. He recalls the challenge of finding the right pitch, saying, "The thing I found most challenging about recording Witcher 1 was actually the voice itself. When I first started recording the game, (Geralt’s) voice was very, very far down in my register. It was something I had to push towards." Initially, the lack of guidelines on recording sessions led to long hours, which took a toll on his throat. However, by the time he worked on The Witcher 2, his vocal cords had adapted, much like an athlete conditioning their muscles.

The release of "The Last Wish" in English during the recording of The Witcher 2 marked a significant turning point for Cockle. He explains, "The books started to come out in English while I was recording Witcher 2. Before that, it was the developers from CD Projekt Red who taught me everything I needed to know about Geralt. So as soon as The Last Wish came out in English, I was down at the bookstore buying it, and I tore through it. And I understood things about Geralt just from reading just that one book that I didn't understand at all before." This deeper understanding helped him better grasp the character's seemingly emotionless demeanor, which he initially struggled with as an actor who wanted to explore emotional depth.

Cockle's appreciation for the Witcher books grew, particularly admiring the work of author Andrzej Sapkowski. Having been a fan of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," he connected deeply with this new fantasy world. Among Sapkowski's works, "Season of Storms" stands out as a favorite, and Cockle expresses a keen interest in voicing Geralt in a potential adaptation of this story.

Currently, fans can experience Cockle's Geralt in "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep," an animated film inspired by the short story "A Little Sacrifice" from the "Sword of Destiny" collection. This dark reinterpretation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" involves Geralt in a conflict between two kingdoms. While the film features intense action and political drama, Cockle appreciates the lighter moments, such as a humorous exchange between Geralt and Jaskier by a campfire, showcasing the softer side of the monster hunter.

Cockle enjoys exploring the multifaceted nature of Geralt's personality, stating, "Part of liking acting is liking all those different aspects of a character's personality and the different choices that could be made and how they might approach those choices. I enjoy the gravitas of Geralt when he's all serious and mopey and whatever, but I do also like those moments when he's trying to be light. When he's trying to crack a joke and it just doesn't go very well for him most of the time because he's just not funny."

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While much of Cockle's work on "Sirens of the Deep" involved using his familiar voice, he faced a unique challenge: speaking in a fictional language, mermaid. He admits, "I found doing this really difficult. I got phonetic spellings of the words and things so I could get familiar with it and hopefully be okay on the day. And then I got in front of the mic and… it wasn't like performance anxiety or anything like that, it's just that it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

Cockle will return to the world of video games with "The Witcher 4," where Geralt will play a supporting role to Ciri, his adoptive daughter. He anticipates this transition to be smooth, likening it to slipping into a comfortable pair of slippers. With less dialogue to record than in previous games, Cockle is excited about the new direction of the story and the focus on Ciri.

While Cockle remains tight-lipped about "The Witcher 4," he is optimistic about the shift in perspective to Ciri, saying, "I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."

For more insights into CD Projekt Red's plans, check out our in-depth interview with the creators of "The Witcher 4." To see more of Doug Cockle's work, watch "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep" on Netflix, or follow him on Instagram, Cameo, and X.