The Witcher 2 is *finally* coming to Netflix on 17 December and we cannot wait. We caught up with Freya Allan who plays Princess Ciri on the hit series to find out how she got her job as an actress as well as some sneak peaks into what’s to come in Ciri’s life after the Battle of Sodden.
Cosmo Middle East: How did you get into acting?
Freya Allan: I’ve loved acting ever since I was little. When I was five or six years old, I was in the nativity play at school and my character was the bad wolf who ate sheep. I put my hand up and said I don’t want to be a baddie. So, they told me I could be a vegetarian wolf. During the actual nativity play, my line was “I’m Sally, the vegetarian wolf.” Everyone laughed and I loved their reactions. I wanted to experience more of it. I was hooked.
C: Did you continue acting in school plays?
FA: Yes, I did. Drama was big at my secondary school. I also was in a professional show when I was 11 years old. When I was around 14, I was getting too old for musical theatre and started to wonder how people got into television and film. I found out people had agents. I started to send out emails and videos of myself to different agents. Eventually, I got a meeting with an agent. After signing, I started going to auditions.
C: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to be an actress?
FA: Take every opportunity that you can. There will be roles that come through with descriptions that are nothing like you. You know you won’t get the part. You’re too young, too old, or don’t fit the look of it quite right. It doesn’t matter. Each audition is an opportunity, and you must take it. You can go in and impress the casting director and they’ll end up inviting you for something else. I’ve had that happen to me on a couple of occasions. My advice is to say yes and show up. Nothing bad can happen.
C: How do you deal with rejection?
FA: In this whole industry, in whichever role we play it’s essential to not take anything personally. You need to be able to take criticism. In regards to rejection, there’s so many occasions where it’s not about your job performance. Rather, it’s that you’re not old enough or don’t have the right look. You need to wait for a character to come along that suits you better.
C: How did you get the role of Ciri in The Witcher?
FA: I knew the minute that I got finished that audition, there was something different about it in comparison to other characters I’ve auditioned for in the past. She was perfect for me, and I knew I had to play it. We fit together well.
C: What do you and Ciri have in common?
FA: So much. She’s very stubborn and I’m stubborn. She’s very determined and driven. So am I. She’s also not afraid of voicing her opinions. She recognises she has a choice and that’s the same as me. I’ve always been very vocal in what I think. We’ve had similar experiences.
C: Just for fun, if Ciri came to Dubai what’s the first thing she’d do?
FA: She’d chill by the pool for a second. I think she needs it. Just time to chill on a sunbed.
In season two, The Witcher comprises of eight episodes. It opens with Geralt of Rivia taking Princess Ciri to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen after the Battle of Sodden. As the kings, elves, humans, and demons on the continent battle for supremacy, Geralt takes on a father-figure type role with Ciri as he protects her from the mysterious power she possesses inside.