The Witcher star Doug Cockle recorded all of Geralt’s lines for the OG RPG in just 8 days
By (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
Doug Cockle (known for The Witcher) reportedly recorded all of Geralt of Rivia’s voice dialogues in just 8 days while engaged in the very first title of the series, achieving a significant success without ever having the chance to read the original materials.
Geralt’s deep voice will eternally be shaped by Doug Cockle’s portrayal, but capturing the iconic character was no simple task. In an interview with Gameology, the actor reminisced that he merely “attended an audition” in those early days where he met a developer from CD Projekt Red who elaborated on the character of Geralt.
The REAL Geralt Reacts to The Witcher 1 | Doug Cockle – YouTube
Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher books had not yet been translated into English, which meant Cockle “couldn’t consult them” while getting ready to step into the recording studio. Nevertheless, he was immediately enthusiastic.
“What I really appreciated about the idea of The Witcher when I was introduced to it was this entirely new fantasy realm. I have always been a fan of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Dragonriders of Pern, and other great fantasy literature – Conan the Barbarian. So, I’ve consistently enjoyed fantasy settings, and this was a completely fresh one to delve into,” he shares.
Regarding the actual recording for the expansive role-playing game, Cockle recalls he dedicated around eight days in total for The Witcher 1: “I believe it was five consecutive days, and the voice was extremely low – very, very low in my vocal range. By the end of a lengthy recording day – we were recording six to seven hours daily – my voice was exhausted. So I’d head back to my hotel room and sip peppermint tea the entire night, or lemon and ginger. Those were my top picks. Then I would return the following day and repeat the process. Eventually, the game was released, and it received great acclaim.” The rest is history.
