The first season of Netflix's The Witcher was mostly adored by fans of the books and games, but also by many newcomers, even if many had issues with the confusing timelines. The second season calmed down somewhat with its structure but delved deeper into the series' thick plot, with many new characters being introduced.
While there were several new faces that haven't had many previous roles or are relatively unknown to the masses, there were still many actors and actresses brought in who already had their own followings and impressive résumés, leading to more hype and excitement for the second season, adding to the already-proven stellar cast.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Witcher, now available on Netflix.
10 Graham McTavish Lands Yet Another Huge Role As Sigismund Dijkstra
Sigismund Dijkstra will be immediately recognized as a character by fans of the Witcher games, as the conniving spymaster and head of Redanian Intelligence, but also because of the incredibly talented and revered actor that portrays him in the Netflix series, Graham McTavish.
McTavish played the warrior dwarf Dwalin in The Hobbit, and has also played recurring roles in successful television shows from Lucifer, Outlander, and Preacher. The Witcher isn't the first Netflix project that McTavish has joined, as he has previously voiced the iconic Dracula in Castlevania, and even voiced Deglan in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
9 Ed Birch's King Vizimir Of Redania Is A Powerful Character But Has The Likes Of Dijkstra Do All The Work For Him
King Vizimir of Redania, not to be confused with Vesemir, isn't a heavily featured character upon his introduction, but he is still a big player in the ever-growing list of different factions, jostling for position and power. His introduction is somewhat overshadowed by Graham McTavish's Dijkstra, but that is the point, as the spymaster is hired by the king to do all the dirty work for him.
King Vizimir is played by Ed Birch, who appeared in multiple episodes of The Last Kingdom's third season as Sigebriht, as well as appearing in the likes of Cruella, Wonder Woman 1984 and Gunpowder Milkshake.
8 Kim Bodnia Is Cast As The Fatherly Vesemir But Was Best Known Prior For Being Konstantin In Killing Eve
One of the most hotly anticipated character introductions to The Witcher's Netflix series, Vesemir and his casting had a lot of fans curious and excited. Essentially the witchers' leader and father figure, Vesemir's origin story The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf was released as a Netflix movie earlier in 2021 before the second season came out, which certainly helped add to his reveal's hype.
Introduced in Season 2, he is played by Kim Bodnia, a Danish actor who is arguably best known for his role as Konstantin in Killing Eve. Bodnia portrays Vesemir with all the wisdom and desperation that Vesemir should have, and certainly justifies him being cast in the role.
7 Cassie Clare's Philippa Eilhart Is Revealed Later On In The Season
Philippa Eilhart is by far one of the more interesting character introductions to The Witcher's second season, due in part to the fact that her human form reveal isn't until the end of the final episode, "Family." She is a sorceress who disguises herself as an owl in order for her to become a valuable asset to King Vizimir and Dijkstra in regards to their spying and gathering of intel.
Fans of the series will have known about this impending reveal since the owl's debut, but for those who simply enjoy watching the series with no previous knowledge, this reveal adds a lot of intrigue and room for developing a new, yet also not-so-new character. She is played by Cassie Clare, who appeared in Brave New World alongside the likes of Hannah John-Kamen and Alden Ehrenreich, with her also featuring as villainous henchwoman Zaquia, in What Happened To Monday.
6 Paul Bullion Plays Lambert, One Of The Few Remaining Witchers
Geralt and Ciri's arrival at Kaer Morhen in the second season has certainly been highly anticipated, as not only does it mean the return of the formidable keep shown previously in animated form in the Nightmare of the Wolf movie, but it also introduces new witchers to the series.
One of the main witchers to be given prominence and a more active role is Lambert, played by Paul Bullion, who will perhaps be most recognized for his role as Billy Kitchen in three episodes of Peaky Blinders, despite not having his long flowing hair and beard in that role. In The Witcher, Lambert grows into something of a brother figure to Ciri, alongside Coen.
5 Downton Abbey's Kevin Doyle Is A Cynical Elf Called Ba'lian
Ba'lian is a cynical older elf, who Yennefer and Cahir run into when attempting to flee Oxenfurt via the sewers and later a ship. While Ba'lian's mute friend seems hopeful, Ba'lian himself is afraid, that fear turning to cowardice with him fleeing when his friend is attacked by a monster.
Berated by Yennefer for abandoning his friend, Ba'lian later seeks to atone for his failings by distracting the dock guards long enough to allow Jaskier, Yennefer, Cahir and several elves to board a ship bound for Cintra. The elf is played by Kevin Doyle, a familiar face for Downton Abbey's lovers, with him having played Joseph Molesley over the course of the show's six-season life-span.
4 Kristofer Hivju Was The Beloved Wildling Tormund Before Joining The Witcher As Nivellen
Especially well known for his hilarious role as the lovable but brutish Tormund in Game of Thrones, Kristofer Hivju joins The Witcher team for the second season, but this role has his iconic red hair and thick beard molded around a completely different complexion to that of the wildling.
Hivju plays Nivellen, a man cursed to live as a beast due to his past sins. Nivellen appears to be nice enough, treating Ciri with kindness and hospitality, while reconnecting with Geralt as an old friend, but he is hiding a pretty horrific secret. By the end of the episode he appears in, Nivellen's curse has been lifted, leaving a human and more recognizable Hivju, but this time without the iconic beard.
3 Adjoa Andoh Appears As The Warm & Wise Nenneke
Nenneke is introduced as a friend of Geralt's and a potential mentor to Ciri, although she persists in warning Geralt that he cannot handle his Child Surprise. Regardless, she takes pride in being a priestess and guardian at the Temple of Melitele, being a safe haven of learning and recovery, at least before Geralt's fight with Rience and his men.
She is played by Adjoa Andoh, an actress who will be most familiar to those who watch Bridgerton, being Lady Danbury in multiple episodes of the series. Andoh has also appeared in Invictus alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, and has provided her voice for video games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Fable.
2 Chris Fulton's Fiery Performance As Rience Is Nothing Like His Other Roles
Another character introduced in The Witcher's second season is the fire mage, Rience. With fire magic known to be outlawed for use by mages, he is feared by those he faces and labeled as a villain, although his true allegiances still remain shrouded in mystery.
The dangerous Rience is played by Chris Fulton, who played one of Chris Pine's character's brothers in the 2018 movie Outlaw King, and has appeared in a small number of television shows, including Bridgerton.
1 Simon Callow Is The Familiar Face Bringing Life & Knowledge To Codringher
In Season 2's sixth episode, "Dear Friend," Istredd seeks further help and information to help him with his investigation into the girl he knows to be linked with the monoliths, Ciri. He goes to Codringher & Fenn, who are known as a Consultation & Legal Service, but are in fact much more than that.
Codringher is played by Simon Callow who, born in 1949, has had a long and storied career. He has been in the likes of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare In Love, not to mention his 2021 appearance in the Hawkeye television series, as Armand III.