The TV adaptation ofThe Witcherhas taken the world by storm since its Netflix debut last month, and audiences have taken note of the strong performances from the high fantasy series' leads. Newcomer Freya Allan shared some info on the unique details that she brought to her performance as Princess Cirilla, a.k.a. Ciri.
“All the screaming was mine,” Allan toldComic Book. “Like, I remember on set, the very first time I did the scream, we did a rehearsal, and the director came over and said ‘Oh, we should have done a take.’ I don’t know what it is, but lots of the roles I’ve gotten into, I’ve had to do these huge screams, and so I’m kind of a pro in that.”
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“Everyone always says that I do a really kind of, a quite piercing one,” Allan continued. “My throat was very, very sore by the end of it. But I mean, it was kind of fun as well.”
Dubbed the “Lion Cub of Cintra” for her royal lineage, Ciri’s arc in the first season ofThe Witchersees her displaced from her home and family after the fall of the Cintran kingdom. One of the show’s three prominent story arcs follows the princess as she searches for the one person bound to her by fate, a gruff monster hunter with mysterious powers calledGeralt of Rivia.
Fans of CD Projekt Red’sWitchervideo games, which share the same source material in Andrzej Sapkowski’s original book series, will notice that the version of Ciri present in the show is much different from the older, more experienced take on the character seen inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the series lays a strong foundation for the character to grow into a similar role, no small part of which is the distinct energy that Allan brings to her Ciri.
Allan’s previous work includes an appearance onAMC’sInto the Badlands, as well as in an English miniseries based on the classic novelThe War of the Worldsearlier in 2019. Other upcoming projects for Allan include the thriller filmGunpowder Milkshake,HBO’s miniseriesThe Third Day,and the second season ofThe Witcher,which was already greenlit in November before the series premiered.
Early critical reception to Netflix’s version ofThe Witcherhas been mixed, but Netflix has already pointed to the show as one of its biggest releases of 2019, with the series reaching similar levels of popularity as Disney+‘sThe Mandalorianand Netflix’s own longtime hitStranger Things. The show’s strong performance means the chances of seeing Allan in other big roles to come are strong, withthe show’s version of Ciri already being compared toGame of Thrones’s Arya Starkby viewers.
All eight episodes ofThe Witcher’s first season are streaming now on Netflix.
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