Filming in Budapest turned out to be brutal for the cast of The Witcher

The actors seem to agree that Hungary is the worst place to shoot. interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Henry Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra, who respectively play Geralt of Rivia, Princess Cirilla and Yennefer of Vengerberg, were asked about filming conditions in Budapest. It was clear from their immediate facial expressions and audio reactions, especially from Allan and Chalotra, that the time they had spent at work had not been easy.

Allan mentioned the cold in particular as one of the biggest setbacks on set: “I always acted like snow. [in Hungary] and even when we filmed some [scenes] in the Canary Islands, I thought: “Oh, I will go, and this time it will be warm!” But no, it wasn’t!” Allan said that even there she had to bring a heating pad with her, as they were filming in cold, mountainous areas.

Chalotra continued Allan’s words and called the filming conditions “brutal”. She also praised the same outfit for coming to the rescue, noting, “I always had a heating pad, so it was okay.” She then added, “And I think I filmed every element.”

Indeed, in season 1, Chalotra was the only one among the main trio who filmed in extreme heat, as Yennefer teleports into the desert, where, as far as the eye can see, only sand dunes stretch around her. But, according to Chalotra, capturing the different elements and landscapes was part of the excitement.

The second season was a little more merciful to the cast as eight episodes were filmed mostly in a few locations around the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although that certainly created its own problems.