The Witcher's Ciri actress says she feels sorry for Liam Hemsworth, hopes viewers give him a chance

Freya Allen, who plays Ciri in Netflix's Witcher adaptation, has said she feels sorry for Liam Hemsworth ahead of his turn as Geralt, and hopes viewers will give him the "time of day" when the show's fourth season makes its debut.

Speaking with Collider, Allen said the Witcher's fanbase "can be very attack-y", adding that Hemsworth's situation is not an "ideal" one. Allen is, of course, referring to Hemsworth taking over the role of the show's white-haired monster hunter, after original actor Henry Cavill called it a day at the end of season three.

"I don't want to speak for him, but from what I've understood, I feel like he's really wanting to try and bring the heart. He's been training," Allen said. "But I'm really excited to see what he does. And he's such a lovely guy. I just hope that people give him the time of day, you know?"

Hemsworth was first announced to be joining the cast for the fourth season of The Witcher in 2022, when Cavill revealed he was "laying down [his] medallion and [his] swords".

"In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men," Cavill wrote at the time.

As for The Witcher's upcoming fourth season, Matrix star Laurence Fishburne is also joining the cast as Regis. Danny Woodburn, meanwhile, has been announced as Geralt's dwarf friend Zoltan Chivay.

While a subsequent fifth season has already been confirmed, it will be the last one for Netflix's The Witcher adaptation.