Open your heart and appreciate the adorable things in life.
A French bulldog went to and had a blast at the premiere of The Witcher season 3 on Wednesday night. “Rory the Frenchie” as she’s known on TikTok is, obviously, a huge Henry Cavill stan. So Netflix set a trap for all of us by inviting the pup to the premiere and making sure there were photographers around every step of the way. I’m not prepared to be cynical about this. The dog is cute and more animals should be doing step-and-repeats.
Rory the Frenchie is a viral phenomenon, if you are in the particular algorithmic lane of TikTok that serves you nerd-ass fantasy content and videos of pets watching TV and making faces. Owner Heather Land’s account for the French bulldog boasts over 388,000 followers, who tune in on the regular to watch Rory cosplay and thirst over Henry Cavill — specifically as his character Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher. Land first discovered her furry friend’s fandom for Geralt during a rewatch in late 2022. When Cavill popped on screen, the normally chill dog flipped, and has been documented wagging her tail over the actor’s visage ever since.
Seizing the opportunity, Netflix flew Land and Rory out to the premiere to reap all the rewards of their TikTok audience. But the truth is, the real gold is what paparazzi photographers picked up during their triumphant entrance. I have never been happier for a dog.
The big question that is not apparent from any of the documentation: Did Rory get to meet Cavill and melt into a puddle of dog? Signs point to no, despite that being something Cavill would probably love; the actor is a known dog-lover. Cavill recently said goodbye to a French bulldog, named Meat, when the dog passed in April, but brought another French bulldog, named Baggins, into his life earlier in June. Must love dogs, says Henry Cavill. And yet based on TikTok updates and event snapshots, Cavill may not have met his #1 canine fan! This is how close they got that night.
Rory most likely did not meet her big crush, but by attending the premiere in the first place, I declare that the dog has done society a great service.
Let’s all promise not to tell Rory about what happens in The Witcher season 4.