Henry Cavill Looked for the ‘Silver Lining’ of His Set Injury From ‘The Witcher’
With roles like the DC Extended Universe’s Superman and The Witcher‘s Geralt of Rivia under his belt, Henry Cavill knows acting can require some physical strain. He’s spoken often about his fitness regimen and the training he underwent to excel in his well-known films and series. However, sometimes the effort of bringing a character to life can result in injury — something that happened to Cavill while filming The Witcher Season 2. Fortunately, the actor was able to overcome that obstacle and find the positive side of it.
Henry Cavill was injured while filming ‘The Witcher’ Season 2
Last December, while filming The Witcher Season 2, Cavill injured his leg on set. The news broke that the actor needed to step away from filming while production continued without him. For a while, no one knew how serious the situation was. Luckily, Cavill took to Instagram to update fans on what had happened.
“Today, I thought I might tell you about my injury — my hamstring injury, which happened back in December — and the physiotherapy I’ve been going through to make sure I have returned to full health while working,” Cavill explained.
The Witcher star went on to explain that he received his injury while running and that it could have turned out much worse than it did:
“Back in December, I injured myself running on set. I was sprinting. And while sprinting, the hamstring tore. It turned out to be a Grade 2B tear, which means it was the bicep part of the hamstring, which is the middle part of the muscle. And it was a severe tear. My physiotherapist told me that, if the tear was any more severe, it would have been a rupture, and that means the tendon and the muscle leave the bone — which would have been really rather nasty and taken an extraordinary amount of time to recover from.”
Henry Cavill found the ‘silver lining’ in the situation
Although Cavill says his injury could have been far worse, it took The Witcher star some time to recover. He could easily have developed a negative outlook on the situation, but instead, he viewed it as an opportunity. During an interview with People, he explained how the time off enabled him to focus on his “mental health” instead:
“When I look back, I realize, yes, it was a hard time. I think one of the skills I’ve picked up over the years is just forging ahead regardless of difficulty or hard work or trials and tribulations. So when the hamstring injury came, I tried to look at the silver lining. It was like, ‘Ok. I was working insane hours and it was exhausting and I now physically can’t work because I’m on crutches.’ So I was focusing more on taking the time off and going, how can I best heal myself?”
Of course, Cavill has a history of choosing to look on the bright side of setbacks. When he first started acting, he found himself rejected from several huge roles, including that of James Bond. Rather than be bitter about it, he has consistently expressed how grateful he is for how things played out.
“When it comes to my mental health, [I] focus on what I can control and work on that,” Cavill told People. “And that gives me something to work towards rather than something to deal with or work through or manage my life through.”
When does ‘The Witcher’ Season 2 come out on Netflix?
With that positive outlook, Cavill returned to filming The Witcher Season 2, which is slated to arrive a year after his injury. The new episodes hit Netflix just in time for the holiday season — and they’ll throw his character into all-new scenarios. Geralt of Rivia will take on a fatherly role to Princess Cirilla (Freya Allen), training and protecting her in the process.
That gives fans plenty to look forward to when it comes to action and emotions. As for when viewers will see Cavill on the small screen again, the Netflix series returns on Dec. 17, 2021.
