Why Doug Cockle thought he'd lost the role of Geralt

Doug Cockle built a career in theatre before stumbling into video game voice work with 2001’s Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos, and he has played Geralt for about 20 years. His run as the Witcher began with a successful audition for 2007’s The Witcher, but the role nearly slipped away between the first and second games — a prospect he’s still relieved never came to pass.

In the audition Cockle shaped the grizzled, low-voiced Geralt with a tip to channel Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry — the voice carries that “Go ahead, punk, make my day” edge. With only concept art and developers’ notes to guide him, he had to invent much of the character’s sound and demeanor himself.

Recording those early games was grueling. There were no modern limits on session length, so days could run eight to 10 hours — “felt like 18 hours,” he said — and, if memory serves, he recorded almost all of The Witcher in one week. By day’s end his voice was “wrecked,” and he would sip peppermint tea and keep quiet to recover.

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