Why Yennefer From The Witcher Looks So Familiar

Viewers have found a lot to like about the original series The Witcher, which stars erstwhile Superman Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist of the well-loved series of video games. It's well-written, briskly paced, lovingly rendered fantasy fun. And while some critics have tried to rain on fans' parade, those fans have been quick to write off these half-baked criticisms. Rightly so, in our humble opinion. A good number appear to have been fielded by critics who either don't care for the fantasy genre in general, or can't keep from comparing The Witcher to the recently-ended Game of Thrones, which is frankly a ridiculously weak comparison.

Cavill acquits himself nicely in the lead, but viewers have been particularly taken with the character of Yennefer, a sorceress with a troubled history and decidedly mixed feelings about Geralt.

The show-stealing magic user, who becomes ever more powerful as the first season goes on and eventually has occasion to use her formidable powers to take on an entire army single-handedly, is portrayed by young actress Anya Chalotra, a relative newcomer whom you might nevertheless find to be a bit familiar. If you can't quite put your finger on where you've seen her before, well, we're here to help.

Chalotra hasn't been in the business for very long, but her talent has already earned her some pretty high-profile gigs. Since we'll assume you're a fan of The Witcher, you obviously have a Netflix subscription, meaning that you might have caught her debut credit: 2018's Wanderlust, a drama series which is a joint production between the streamer and BBC One.

The series stars Toni Collette as Joy Richards, a therapist whose life goes into a downward spiral after both the death of one of her patients and a terrible car accident in which she's badly injured. The series is the brainchild of British playwright Nick Payne, who recently branched out into feature film work with his screenplay for the 2017 adaptation of Julian Barnes' novel The Sense of an Ending. Its well-received first season introduced Chalotra in a minor role, and gave her the opportunity to work alongside the always-excellent Collette, as well as co-stars Steven Mackintosh and Zawe Ashton.

While the series' first season left a number of narrative threads dangling, there hasn't yet been any word on whether a second has received the official greenlight, let alone whether Chalotra will return. Whether or not the young star is tapped for another round of Wanderlust, though, it appears likely she'll be kept plenty busy. Keep watching the video to see why Yennefer from The Witcher looks so familiar!

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