The Witcher star Freya Allen says her casting was 'bizarre and confusing'

Show is being hailed as the 'new Game of Thrones'

The Witcher star Freya Allen has spoken of how she was initially considered for an entirely different role in the forthcoming fantasy series.

The actor, who stars as princess Ciri in Netflix's adaptation of the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, called her casting "bizarre and confusing" in an interview with Digital Spy.

"The whole audition process was very confusing, I must admit," she said. "I never quite knew what was going on, or what was the truth, or what character I was really going up for, or what character – whether there were code names for characters."

"I never really knew what was happening," she continued. "I got given scenes, and I did them. But what I do know is that they told me I was Marilka, and then [casting director] Sophie Holland said to [writer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich] 'I really think you should consider her for Ciri', even though they were looking for younger people than me.

"So I found out I got Marilka. The next day they called me up saying. [director] Alik Sakharov and Lauren are coming with some producers from LA to London to see [you] for Ciri. I was like... I knew Ciri was the lead role."

Allen says she went in the next day to find she had been given the part of Ciri: "I got there in the end."

Marilka will be played by Mia McKenna-Bruce, while Henry Cavill stars as Geralt.

Early reactions to The Witcher have claimed the Netflix show's fight scenes make Game of Thrones look "awful".