Call it passion. Call it enthusiasm. Hey, you can even call it overkill, but what you can’t do is deny that Joey Batey wholeheartedly cares about his character Jaskier from Netflix’s hit show The Witcher.
Jaskier has been a fan-favorite character since he debuted alongside Henry Cavill’s white-haired Geralt of Rivia in 2019. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s popular fantasy novel series, Jaskier (whose name is actually Dandelion in the books) has been tied to some scrupulous conversations about whether he is gay, straight, or bisexual (let’s not forget that bathtub scene from season one). More importantly, whether the show has been stringing its fans along by luring them into the age-old queerbaiting trap so often found in Hollywood’s most prized properties.
Well, that debate came to a screeching halt upon the release of The Witcher’s third season wherein Jaskier is seen finally sharing an on-screen kiss with another man. And not just a kiss, but an actual crush. The storyline is something Batey says he has been vehemently pushing for since his first audition, or so he says in his interview with Pink News.
“I was very insistent that it was done in a way that was sensitive, that was not in any way kind of representative of bisexual erasure, and done in as romantically as any of the other romantic stories in the cannon [sic].”
In order to achieve this level of accuracy, Batey says he even sent a “small dissertation” to the writers after reading the first draft of the script.
“I think I, at one point, sent a small dissertation that came to about 7000 words, ripping apart every single bit of the first few drafts.
“[I was] really questioning why, and questioning how, and questioning the manner in which we could present this in as truthful and romantic a way as possible.”
Jaskier’s on-screen chemistry with Fleabag‘s Hugh Skinner is without question. Playing the bored, privileged, hedonistic Prince Radovid to a tee, Skinner somehow brings out the softer side of Batey’s Jaskier. The two’s scenes together almost leave you breathless, or at least frozen in place.
“It was all in the writing, to be honest,” says Skinner. “I really enjoyed working with Joey. We had a chemistry read and stuff. I think Radovid is so bored and aimless and drunk [and is] so excited to meet Jaskier and captivated by him. It was a fun scene to play.”
The kiss they eventually share is both a win and a loss for those in the fandom who have been itching for Jaskier to be canonically queer and others who have long shipped Geraskier (i.e. Gerald and Jaskier). While the general reception has been largely positive, not everyone is pleased that a character who didn’t have a gay storyline in the books was given one in the TV series.
As for how Jaskier’s storyline with Radovid will play out — it’s still unfolding. With the second volume of the third season not set to drop until July 27, there’s much speculating to be had between now and then. Batey gave us a small tease, but it only heightened our excitement.
“I think the safest way to put this is that there is a deep connection between them. But there are many political machinations at play that are pulling them apart”.
Aside from composing a 7,000-word dissertation any Queer Studies professor would be proud of, Batey deserves a round of applause for withholding Jaskier’s secret this long. According to him, he has been keeping it close to his chest for nearly five years. Now that it’s out, he couldn’t be happier.
“It was a bit of a joy, actually, to be presented with this and to be involved in its creation… It certainly has been a little unspoken. And I’m now very, very happy that it is spoken.”
