Thanks to Netflix’s TUDUM event, The Witcher fans were given a grab bag of goodies over the weekend to prepare for the upcoming Season 2 premiere. One of those treats involves a first look at Kristofer Hivju’s character, Nivellen, who’s essentially a dark and twisted take on the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. With Hivju’s character out in the open, Henry Cavill decided to properly welcome the Game of Thrones star to the cast with a solid burn on Instagram:
The amazing, the wonderful, the electric and the enigmatic Kristofer Hivju. Kristofer was extraordinarily brave for season 2 of the Witcher and decided to play his character of Nivellen with zero make up or visual effects, as you can see above. Kristofer, we are all so proud. #Brave
You can see Cavill’s post along with a closer look at Hivju’s character below:
Hivju’s character appearing in The Witcher Season 2 is an interesting addition for the monster-hunting series. The show has adhered closely to the books with the first season adapting the short story collection The Last Wish, but the series hasn’t been afraid to play fast and loose with the chronological order. While Season 2 is definitely moving The Witcher saga forward, Hivju’s character is a sign that the series will still take time to dip into Geralt of Rivia’s past as well as the books’ penchants for riffing on fairy tales, but with a darker twist. In other words, don’t expect Hivju’s beast-like Nivellen to be a Disney prince.