Freya Allan, the actor who plays Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher, has revealed that filming the show’s fourth season finale was an intensely emotional experience, leading her to cry before and after shooting one of the series’ most devastating scenes.
The finale of The Witcher Season 4 places Ciri in a harrowing situation. After finding a temporary family with a gang of young thieves called the Rats, her new life is brutally torn apart. She arrives too late to save her friends from the merciless bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who has slaughtered them all. The season ends on a dark cliffhanger, with Ciri forced to witness the aftermath of the massacre.
For Allan, portraying this horror was deeply affecting. She explained that the bonds she formed with the actors playing the Rats made the scene particularly difficult to film.
“I actually feel like it was probably one of the hardest scenes… I don’t usually get upset in between, but I found myself crying before and after, and I think I found the whole thing quite disturbing, as everyone did who was there that day,” Allan told Collider. “It was quite a bizarre day. But yeah, it was one of those things where you just let it happen in the moment and just live through that horror.”
A Devastating Turn for Ciri
Ciri’s journey in Season 4 sees her embracing a darker identity. After the events of Season 3, she is taken in by the Rats and begins going by the name Falka, trying to leave her past as the Princess of Cintra behind. This season explores her loss of innocence, including her first kill and her first romantic relationship with another member of the Rats, Mistle.
The finale shatters this fragile new beginning. Hired by Nilfgaard to capture Ciri, Leo Bonhart first eliminates her entire found family. Allan described the filming of this sequence as “devastating—just because the scene is, but also because I had those bonds to these people.”
The emotional weight of the scene comes from Ciri being forced to confront the brutal massacre of everyone she had grown close to, setting her character on a dark path for the upcoming fifth and final season.
An Actor’s Connection to Her Character
Freya Allan’s emotional reaction underscores her deep connection to a character she has portrayed for years. She often feels the pain of Ciri’s relentless struggles, a sentiment even her mother shares.
“Me and my mom actually had a phone call where we were talking about Ciri’s journey and she was even saying it makes her feel emotional,” Allan said in an interview with Polygon. “She feels so bad for Ciri, and it’s the same for me when I’m reading these scripts. I start crying while I’m reading them because I’m just heartbroken for her constantly. She’s like a piece of me in many ways.”
This connection has been a guiding force throughout the series, with Allan fearlessly exploring the darker aspects of Ciri’s evolution as a character.
Praise for a Terrifying Co-Star
Despite the on-screen terror he inflicts, Freya Allan had nothing but praise for Sharlto Copley, the actor who brings the villainous Leo Bonhart to life. She acknowledged that working with him was a highlight of her experience on the show.
“Working with Sharlto for me has been one of the biggest joys of the whole Witcher experience,” Allan said. “He is a bloody brilliant actor and, in scenes, you never know what’s going to happen with him. He genuinely is a flawless Leo Bonhart. I know that’s such a fan-favorite character and I can assure you it’s been in the best hands.”
Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also commended Allan’s commitment, noting that the actor consistently pushes to embrace the character’s complexity and darkness.
Setting the Stage for the Final Season
The traumatic ending of Season 4 sets a grim stage for the story’s conclusion. With Ciri now in a vulnerable and dark place, and Geralt and Yennefer on their own separate journeys, the characters are more divided than ever.
Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich confirmed that the creative team has been building toward a planned ending for the series.
“As cliche as it sounds, it’s one of the greatest honors and privileges to be able to write yourself an ending that feels earned,” Hissrich stated. “I don’t think a lot of television shows get to write toward that in the way that we got to.”
Filming for The Witcher Season 5, the series’ final season, has already been completed, promising an intense and dramatic conclusion to the epic saga.
Also Read: The Witcher Season 4 Cast Gathers in London for Star-Studded Premiere
