These days, it’s difficult to imagine Yennefer of “The Witcher” as looking like anyone besides her actor on the Netflix series, Anya Chalotra. However, that particular image of the character didn’t always exist. Before the show, Yennefer had been established in the original “Witcher” novels for years, and fans were most familiar with a very different visual portrayal of the character via the franchise’s video game series. As it turns out, it was a conscious effort on the part of the show’s creators to cast a Yennefer who would be a departure from previous physical interpretations of the character.
In an interview with Variety, “The Witcher” casting director Sophie Holland recalled how she worked with series showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to consider the value of diversity while casting Yennefer. “In the book, she’s described as the most beautiful woman in the world,” she explained. “This was a few years ago and I’d like to think things have changed. But when you think about people’s unconscious bias – especially in the fantasy world, it felt like these worlds were predominantly white. And I remember saying, ‘I feel like we need to challenge what people think of as the standard of beauty. And having a woman of color in this role does incredibly powerful things to the people watching.'”
Anya Chalotra didn’t think she would get cast as Yennefer because of her appearance
Ironically enough, Anya Chalotra originally believed Yennefer’s standard of beauty would stop her from landing the part when she auditioned for Netflix’s “The Witcher.” In an interview with Collider, the actor spoke about her thought process before she got cast in the role. “I spoke to my agent and said, ‘I’m not the person they want. I know I’m not the person they want,'” she recalled. “The brief was ‘Men want her, women want to be her, she’s gorgeous,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely not going to get this part.'”
Of course, Chalotra did end up being the one to bring Yennefer to life, and she credits that outcome with her strong audition. In fact, some of the actor’s unique spin on Yennefer from the initial audition process has ended up feeding into her portrayal in the series proper. “She is extremely expressive and passionate, and that’s something I brought to Yennefer,” she explained. “She’s kind of presented this cold exterior, and I was just excited to explore everything around that.”
Chalotra has also credited playing Yennefer with giving her more self-confidence. “I definitely learned to have a certain confidence in my body because Yennefer is so confident in her body and I had to be to play that part,” the actor told Marriska Fernandes. “I had to really take ownership of how I use my body and the way I stood and the way I walked really affected that. I had to really believe in myself.”
