The Witcher Fight Scene You Might Not Believe Was Shot In One Take

In Netflix's hit series "The Witcher," the characters — and the actors who portray them — rarely have a dull moment. Nearly every episode features a nail-biting fight scene of some sort, whether it's with a dangerous foe or deadly mythical creature.

These high-energy scenes are introduced from the get-go, with Geralt (Henry Cavill) taking on the vengeful Renfri (Emma Appleton) in the dramatic conclusion of the first episode, "The End's Beginning." Though Renfri is on a mission to seek revenge on the wizard Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen), she has no problem taking down innocent citizens who unwittingly fall into her path. In an effort to stop the violence, Geralt engages in a dramatic sword fight with Renfri, who ultimately loses.

In this scene and many others, Cavill performs his own stunts. "I think it's an essential piece to the character," he told Variety. "If an audience is watching Geralt on-screen, they must believe that it is me. If it's not me, I've betrayed the character in some way, and so I try and do as much as a production will let me."

Performing "The Witcher" fight scenes without the use of a body double is no easy feat. However, Cavill's stunt talents were brought to another level during one memorable battle, which was surprisingly shot in only one take.

As the situation between Renfri and Stregobor intensifies, Geralt encounters a group of Renfri's gang members, who give him an ultimatum: he must pick a side and choose the "lesser evil." Upon deciding to turn against Renfri, Geralt is forced to battle her dozen henchmen through the streets of Blaviken. The one-minute sequence shows Geralt using his sword to effortlessly kill one man after the next. At the end, there's nothing standing between Renfri and the newly-dubbed "Butcher of Blaviken."

Despite the intricacies of the scene, Henry Cavill revealed (via Still Watching Netflix) that the entire sequence was filmed in one take, a creative choice that came with its share of challenges. "The problem with the one-shot scene is, if any bit slows down or anything doesn't work perfectly, it ruins the whole scene," he explained. "There's no space for mistakes."

Everyone, including Cavill, the camera operators, and the stuntmen portraying Renfri's gang members had to be perfectly on point. If the tiniest aspect was off, Cavill said, "you have to keep on going back and doing it again and again."

Though Cavill admitted there was a less-tedious option of shooting various angles at different times, with Cavill performing a few movements before stopping, this may have changed the impact of the scene. Being able to witness Geralt take down a steady stream of bad guys showcases the fearlessness and skill of the character.