The casting director for Netflix's The Witcher series recently revealed that their selection for Yennefer of Vengerberg is intended to “challenge” traditional beauty norms.
The Witcher on Netflix features some of the most beautiful cast members to grace the streaming platform's roster. Let's be real, Henry Cavill alone had many fans tune in to see his steamy hot tub scene. Not to forget about Anya Chalotra, who perfectly embodies one of the franchise's most beautiful characters, Yennefer of Vengerberg. So it's somewhat unexpected when the show's casting director divulged that one of these choices is intended to “challenge” traditional beauty standards.
In a conversation with Variety, the casting director of The Witcher noted that casting for Yennefer of Vengerberg was intended "to challenge what people regard as the standard of beauty." It remains a tad bit unclear how someone as dazzling as Anya Chalotra could shift perceptions on what's deemed beautiful, but I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Casting Director For The Witcher Explains Reason For Casting Anya Chalotra
We all know, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but obviously there still are beauty standards that permeate society. The epitome of objective beauty in The Witcher is supposed to be Yennefer of Vengerberg.
The casting director for the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher decided to use this opportunity to cast an Indian woman to portray that ideal of beauty.
I remember saying, ‘I feel like we need to challenge what people think of as the standard of beauty. And having a woman of color in this role does incredibly powerful things to the people watching.'
This casting choice is supposed to challenge “people’s unconscious bias – especially in the fantasy world, it felt like these worlds were predominantly white”.
To have the epitome of beauty in The Witcher be portrayed by a woman of color sends a powerful message to other people of color. Although, we aren't 100% convinced that this role really does challenge beauty standards; Anya Chalotra is conventionally beautiful.
Well, what about Liam Hemsworth's casting, then?