The Witcher Season 3's Desert Sequence Was Just As Brutal Behind The Scenes
When I first read about the desert conditions in which Freya Allan filmed the seventh episode of "The Witcher" season 3, I thought it had to be a typo. Sure, "Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan," the hour that sees Ciri portal to the Korath Desert and wander there for days looked brutal, but how hot could it have actually been during filming? It turns out, the answer is disgustingly hot.
In an interview with Numero Magazine, Allan revealed that temperatures in Morroco reached 46 degrees Celsius during filming, which is equivalent to nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit. While Ciri was enduring the desert heat, surviving by (among other things) eating a lizard before ultimately being captured by bounty hunters, Allan and the show's crew were going through their own extreme situation. "We were battling with 45 degrees," she told Digital Spy, adding that "it was genuinely a challenge for me, not just Ciri."
A 114 degree shoot in Morocco
While I'm sure safety measures were in place, productions (including "Snowpiercer," which was impacted by a Canadian heat wave last summer) have certainly shut down for less before. In a video shared by Collider, Allan talks about how her character's fur-lined outfit made the shoot even harder, saying, "Whoever arranged this plan is mad." She notes that she was "constantly" making sure to drink water and electrolytes, and behind-the-scenes footage also shows crew members following her with an umbrella and hiding out under a heavily shaded tent. Allan also explains that she often had to walk across the dunes far from any other crew members because the team didn't want to get any of their footprints in the shots.
Allan says that the shoot was memorable in part because the cast (which was really just her) and crew looked out for each other. "Getting to work somewhere like that, you have to pinch yourself. It also felt like a team more so than ever with the crew, we really looked out for each other," she told Numero. "The memories of getting back to the hotel and all having a beer together, going 'we got through today' are some of the best memories." The episode essentially serves as Ciri's hero (or antihero) origin story, as she faces down demons in her mind's eye including her mother and the historic princess Falka. She also sees what her life might look like if she embraces fire magic, before ultimately rejecting the dangerous practice.
Allan and Ciri both gained strength in the desert
As exhausting as the shoot sounds, Allan wasn't alone. She says the episode stands out in her memory because her mother joined her for it. "It's got to be shooting in Morroco for episode 307 and getting to have my mom there with me for the first time since season 1," she answered when asked about the most memorable "Witcher" shoot to date. "That was special," she went on. "Getting to work somewhere like that, you have to pinch yourself."
Allan notes that the Korath Desert episode, which is focused almost entirely on her character, is a plot from the books she had "looked forward to bringing to life for a while now," while showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich notes that from here on out, "The books become more about Ciri." Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's books will know that the Ciri who comes out of the desert and joins the ragtag gang called the Rats isn't quite the same as the one who first stepped into the sand. Her time in the wilderness hardens her, as we can see when she claims the name Falka after killing her would-be assailants in the last moments of the finale. Even if "The Witcher" fans don't end up on board with Liam Hemsworth's version of Geralt, it's clear that Ciri will also be kicking some ass in her own right when the series returns.
For her part, Allan says the desert shoot didn't just strengthen Ciri, but her, too. "It was such a big challenge," she told Digital Spy, "And I think when you get to say you've done it, it does give you a new kind of strength."
"The Witcher" seasons 1 through 3 are now available on Netflix.