‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ Actor Nathaniel Curtis Reveals On-Set Nickname: ‘Fancy Gay Jesus’

Marc Malkin
·2 min read

Nathaniel Curtis got a new nickname while filming “The Witcher: Blood Origin.” The British actor’s castmates referred to him as “Fancy Gay Jesus” because of his signature long hair as well as his character Brían’s flowy robes and abundance of jewels.

“I had so much fun on that set,” Curtis says in the most recent episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. Brían is openly queer in the “Witcher” prequel series.

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Curtis first gained attention for his work in Russell T Davies’ AIDS drama “It’s a Sin.” Landing the “Witcher” role, Curtis says, “means the world to me.” He grew up loving the fantasy genre.

“To be asked to play the first openly queer character in the ‘Witcher’ universe, when I heard that, it kind of sunk in that it wasn’t even just about me,” Curtis says. “It was about the people. It was about 9-year-old Nathaniel, 10-year-old Nathaniel, 11-year-old Nathaniel who wanted to see people of color in the fantasy world. Then 17- and 18-year-old Nathaniel who longed to see queer people of color in the fantasy world.”

His audition was a self-taped reading of an “incredible” three-page monologue about Brían’s backstory. “It talked about Brían running away with the boy that he loved who then died at sea,” Curtis recalls.

Curtis was surprised, as most were, when it was announced that Henry Cavill was leaving the original “The Witcher” and being replaced by Liam Hemsworth. “Honestly, I’m devastated,” Curtis says. “I shall never recover.” Not that he has anything against Hemsworth: “I’ll continue to watch it.”

Of course, he’d love to see Brían pop up on “The Witcher.” “If anybody wants to bring him back 1,500 years later, I’ll do it,” Curtis says.

Listen to the full interview with Curtis on “Just for Variety” above or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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