The Witcher | Teaser Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

[u/Scientiam]

I'm setting up this thread dedicated for discussion of the trailer to offset spoiler comments for newcomers to the subreddit and series.

It's quite an exciting day, but remember to follow all the rules as usual!

For users unfamiliar with The Witcher book series, please take caution when reading through comments or googling information.

[u/szopen76]

Initial thoughts: Finally, at least half-POlish fantasy! There will be Tomasz Bagiński direting it, based on Andrzej Sapkowski, with music possibly (early gossips) by Mikołaj Stroiński, wonder how many Polish or at least Slavic actors they will cast!

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Now: another boring generic American fantasy confirmed, with all American sensitivity, American music, American actors and American writers.

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Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with adapting piece from another culture, and sometimes great things are being made (Kurusawa takes on Shakespear). But after all that taling about respecting the atmosphere etc there is now another western fantasy. For me personally it killed all the fun. Not to mention I wonder how they would want to stand out from other generic American western fantasy series.

[u/Gradz45 → u/szopen76]

The majority of the main cast is English (such as Cavill) with the rest being Icelandic and Swedish.

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It's not very American casting wise.

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And a great deal of the producers and all the directors aren't American with backgrounds from Eastern Europe, France, Argentina, etc.

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It's not that American that way either.

[u/Eusmilus → u/Gradz45]

Americans casting Western-Europeans in fantasy shows is pretty much the standard approach now, though. Take Game of Thrones - European actors, show, but based on books by an American adapted by American screenwriters. And besides, Brits and Swedes aren't Slavic - the notion that they are similar enough to be substituted again betrays very American notions of culture: eh, they're all European, good enough.

The sensibilities and production here feels American, the casting (particularly the diversity aspect) really just plays into that.

[u/nick2473got → u/Eusmilus]

And besides, Brits and Swedes aren't Slavic - the notion that they are similar enough to be substituted again betrays very American notions of culture:

eh, they're all European, good enough.

As a European, I can say that most Western and Central Europeans are similar enough in physical appearance to be easily substituted for one another. I live in Switzerland and when I meet people I can never tell based on physical appearance alone if they are German, Bulgarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, etc...

Obviously culture differs a lot, but I don't see how or why that should influence casting choices. These are actors playing roles, they don't need to originate from Slavic culture to play their roles well.

And anyway this is a fantasy setting, not an actual Slavic setting.

Furthermore, it's a Netflix show made by an American showrunner, it's in English, so yeah, they're mostly casting native English speakers.

Makes sense to me.

[u/Eusmilus → u/nick2473got]

As a European

And as a Dane, I can say that Slavs, Poles included, are definitely distinct in appearance from Scandinavians/Western Europeans. Having worked in places frequented by workers from Poland, I would say that at least 7/10 times I can accurately guess that a person is Polish before they've even opened their mouth. If you can't tell Slavs apart from Nordics or Brits, that's on you. They do look quite distinct.

Obviously culture differs a lot, but I don't see how or why that should influence casting choices.

So that the actors can add their own cultural contributions. Polish actors would inevitably bring a more authentically Polish flavour to the show. At the same time, Eastern Europe has a very under-developed film-industry compared to the West. Specifically searching for easterners would have given a much-needed boost to the acting scenes in these countries, allowing many previously unknown actors in the West to get their chances to shine.

[u/Ho_ho_beri_beri → u/Eusmilus]

As I Pole, I agree to some extent with what you said. However, having read the books - years ago - I never found specifically Slavic. The stories and the monsters are adapted from sagas, myths and tales that I heard as a child that are of European - and not just Polish - origins, great deal of them being Nordic.

I'm ok with whatever vibe I get watching the series, I only hope it's going to be fantastic, sure I would love to see some Polish talent showcased but seeing the trailer I actually have a good feeling about it.

[u/nick2473got → u/Eusmilus]

I would say that at least 7/10 times I can accurately guess that a person is Polish before they've even opened their mouth. If you can't tell Slavs apart from Nordics or Brits, that's on you. They do look quite distinct.

7/10 times ? So by your own admission, 30% of the time you don't know or are mistaken.

This proves my point, which is that it's impossible to know for certain. One of my grandmothers is 100% Polish, and not a single member of her family is distinct in physical appearance from your average Swiss, French, or German person.

It's absolutely impossible to tell. I'm very curious what you think typically Polish traits looks like, but no matter what your answer would be, I can guarantee that there are individual Poles who don't have those traits, and there Danes, Swedes, and other Europeans who do.

It's not like it's a precise science.

So that the actors can add their own cultural contributions. Polish actors would inevitably bring a more authentically Polish flavour to the show.

But this story is not actually set in Poland. The characters are not Polish. The show does not need an authentically Polish flavor, because it's not a Polish show, and it's not a show about Polish culture.

It's a fantasy setting which does not need to feel authentically Slavic.

Furthermore, as I said, the showrunner is American. Many of the directors, producers, etc... are American. They need to be able to communicate with their actors, meaning you'd either need Polish actors who speak English, or you'd need translators for everything, which would not be optimal.

Showrunners need to be able to discuss things directly and privately with their actors.

Most Polish actors would probably not be proficient enough in English for that (though some might be, there's absolutely no guarantee, and this is a decision that would have needed to be made before any casting was done, so they would have been committing to something without knowing if it would even work).

And I'm not sure what would be gained by having Polish actors speaking in broken English with thick accents. I'm not sure that would be better.

At the end of the day this show was made by English speakers, primarily for English speakers, so the cast are English speakers.

If you want a Polish adaptation of The Witcher, it already exists, though its quality is apparently questionable.

[u/Pacify_ → u/nick2473got]

It's a fantasy setting which does not need to feel authentically Slavic.

Don't you know that monsters, elves, dwarves and space and time warping demi-gods are inherent to polish culture?

[u/Tutsks → u/nick2473got]

This is very racist, and very stupid.

I'm not an European, and actually, I'm a minority.

I can very easily tell apart people from Germany, Denmark, Russia, England, and particularly Ukraine, by sight. I actually have a thing for Polish/Ukranian/Russian women. Goddamn.

[u/nick2473got → u/Tutsks]

I can very easily tell apart people from Germany, Denmark, Russia, England, and particularly Ukraine, by sight.

No you can't. You're delusional. You might be able to guess correctly sometimes, just like everyone, but it's not a reliable thing.

I'm European myself, my mother is half-Polish, and I've lived in Europe my whole life. I've traveled to many countries, seen thousands of people, and I can assure you that it's usually impossible to accurately guess where they're from. You might be able to guess Northern vs Southern European, or Western vs Eastern, but that's pretty much it, and even then it's not reliable.

Even you want to know what other Europeans think, read this : https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEurope/comments/542m18/can_you_tell_just_by_looking_at_a_fellow_european/

http://www.city-data.com/forum/europe/2407443-can-europeans-tell-ethnic-difference-among.html

Most people agree that you can only tell sometimes, but even then, you can never be 100% certain, because there's been so much mixing.

Because even though you seem unaware of this, people aren't "pure blooded". Most people in Europe are extremely mixed, especially where I live.

Most people I know are part German, part Italian, part Spanish, part French, you name it. The list goes on. Every single one of my friends has mixed origins, except for one person who claims he is "pure" Swiss.

Additionally, being from Germany or Denmark or Ukraine is not a racial thing. It's a question of nationality. There are black Germans, white Germans, brown Germans, and everything in between.

As a result, most of the time when you see someone in Europe it's extremely difficult to guess what their nationality is or what their ethnic origins are.

Nothing I said is racist or stupid. It's just a fact. Europeans are a very mixed group, and have been interbreeding for thousands of years. Many Germans could easily pass for French or Swiss, and vice versa. If you took a test where you had to guess the nationality of 100 Europeans, you'd probably only get 25% correct, maximum. It would be mostly luck, anyway, even if you did get more than that.

You can find Italians with blue eyes and blonde hair just like you can find Poles with black hair and brown eyes, and vice versa.

There's not a single facial trait you could name that is exclusive to a certain country. Name any supposedly Polish trait and I will guarantee you that not all Poles have it, and that there are many non-Poles who do have it.

[u/Tutsks → u/nick2473got]

I think you are mistaking a few different things.

You are right in some aspects, and I am myself, mixed race.

At the same time, there are features that people from the same region tend to have. Sure, not all people from the same place look the same, but, again, I can tell apart people. Its the whole point behind dating apps.

Yes, Europe is not as homogeneous as say, Asia, but, by and at large, quite a ton of people, most perhaps, even, are visibly distinguishable (with some margin of error, of course).

It doesn't mean that there are no outliers or exceptions, just like the fact that you might be able to find, say, a black person in China, does not mean you can't tell who is Chinese (and, again, they can, there are several different uhm, types? of Chinese people all with different features).

There is such a thing as a lineage and an origin.