Netflix’s unveiling of Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in full costume has polarized fans of both the video game franchise and Andrzej Sapkowski’s best-selling novels, with each side giving their two cents on how the White Wolf should actually look.
The Netflix series is using the books as source material – not the popular game franchise – and in Sapkowski’s novels, Geralt doesn’t enjoy having a beard. In an excerpt from The Time of Contempt, Geralt asks his friend and legendary poet, Dandelion, if he can borrow his razor:
Geralt: “Do you have a razor?”
Dandelion: “Eh? Of course I do.”
Geralt: “Lend it to me tomorrow morning. This beard of mine is driving me insane.”
Source: IGN.com Why Henry Cavill Doesn't Have a Beard in Netflix's The Witcher