The Witcher Actor Joey Batey Confirms Jaskier's Surprising Season 3 Romance
The rumors are true: Jaskier, the scene-stealing bard from Netflix's "The Witcher," might have to add more love songs to his repertoire, as he's set to start a romance with Radovid in season 3 of "The Witcher" (per the latest issue of SFX magazine). Radovid is the name of a king in the original "Witcher" video games, but on screen, his character is described as the drunken playboy prince of Redania. "Fleabag" and "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" actor Hugh Skinner is set to take on the role.
While rumors surrounding Jaskier's sexuality and his character's potential love life have already been all but confirmed, actor Joey Batey finally verified that his poet will indeed end up in a romantic entanglement with the new character. "Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich came to me long before we even saw some scripts and said, 'This is the direction we'd like to take Jaskier,'" Batey told SFX, calling the romance subplot "a more modern interpretation of the books." In a previous interview with Netflix's Tudum, Batey declared season 3 Jaskier's "hot girl summer," calling the romance "sapioromantic" (a term that refers to falling for someone's intellect regardless of gender) without actually citing the love interest character by name.
Jaskier, meet Radovid
Speaking to SFX, Batey explained that he doesn't "think Jaskier really sees gender," but also implied that meeting Radovid throws the character for a loop from their very first encounter. "We see Radovid arriving," Batey said, and, "for the first time in a while, Jaskier can't work him out. That to him is the most intriguing prospect." He describes a moment of recognition between the pair: "You wear just as much of a mask as I do. I want to see who is going to lower their mask first."
Hissrich also spoke with the outlet, and explained that Jaskier's relationship with Radovid will be completely different than his connection with a character video game players will know, Vespula. "When we started in the writers' room this season, we had a question about Jaskier that was really fun to explore: Who is Jaskier when he is on his own, away from Geralt, Yen and Ciri?" Hissrich asked. "What that brought us to is Jaskier's first really serious relationship."
A Jaskier romance could be just what this show needs
Hissrich continued: "We introduced a character from the books, Vespula — Jaskier's on-again-off-again lover, but then we used that dynamic to provide a contrast to what happens when Jaskier actually starts to have deeper feelings toward someone." That someone seems poised to be Radovid, and while news of Henry Cavill's exit from the show (he'll return for season 3, but not 4) has some "Witcher" fans flagging in enthusiasm, this fan-favorite-centric plot seems likely to bring us back to attention.
If you're worried about an established story like "The Witcher" shoehorning in a queer character without doing their due diligence, fret not: It sounds like a lot of thought went into how the story will be told, including from Batey himself. "My priority was ensuring it was done in a sensitive, caring way that avoided all kinds of stereotypes," he told SFX. "I was heavily involved in some of the script revisions in order to ensure a very safe, sexual, romantic connection with this person."
"The Witcher" returns to Netflix on June 29, 2023.