Netflix’s The Witcher has long stood out for its immersive production design — from the battered, weathered halls of Kaer Morhen to the ornate, otherworldly classrooms of Aretuza. For season 4, the art department pushed that realism further by constructing a fully realized, haunted swamp for Geralt (Liam Hemsworth) and his companions to slog through — so convincing that the cast found it unexpectedly inhospitable.
Laurence Fishburne later described the environment as oppressively hot and humid, more like a terrarium than a typical soundstage. He recalled the constant dampness, the lingering odor, and the physical strain of spending long days submerged in water and muck.
In the story, Geralt battles a mind-bending creature that animates vines and menaces his friends. On set, the actors faced their own uninvited wildlife: insects, spiders, and other critters that naturally accompany live foliage and swamp plants.
Joey Batey, who portrays the bard Jaskier, said the production deliberately used living trees and plants so they could be replanted later as part of an eco-conscious approach. That choice brought the expected side effects: birds, dense undergrowth, and terrain that was difficult to navigate — to the point where even the director slipped and fell during filming.
Despite the discomfort, the authenticity paid dividends. The actors found the physical conditions helped sell the peril of the sequence — Hemsworth noted that once you were in the set you really felt surrounded by the swamp, not just performing on a stage with cameras present.
The Witcher season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: Polygon
