Lately, Henry Cavill has become a big name in Hollywood. In addition to playing Superman in the DC Comics Extended Universe, the British star has won several prominent roles in franchises such as Mission: Impossible and in The Witcher series.
Much loved by fans, the star has a captivating presence on social media, and relatively interesting life story. In this list, you will get to know a little more about Henry Cavill, as well as details of what he does off camera.
His Childhood
Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill was born on May 5, 1983 in Jersey, on a British island in the English Channel. His mother, Marianne, was a secretary at a bank and his father, Colin, a stockbroker.
He is the fourth of five brothers and moved to England to study at a boarding school. As a child, he was bullied because of his weight. In addition, Henry has already stated that, before thinking about being an actor, his dream was to enlist in the British army to fulfill his patriotic duty.
Gamer!
You may have already seen the video in which Henry Cavill builds a PC by himself. The actor is known for loving electronic games and RPGs, being an unwavering fan of World of Warcraft, as well as playing games like Overwatch.
According to the producer of the series The Witcher, Lauren S. Hissrich, Cavill landed the role of Geralt of Rivia not just physicaly, but already understood the mythology of the franchise, since the star was already familiar with both the books and the games the series was adapted from.
Rugby Player
Even though he was bullied a lot due to his physical form as a child (his nickname was Gordo), Cavill did not let that negatively influence him. From his adolescence, he started to practice rugby, a sport he is still a fan of today.
He became an exemplary athlete, but suffered several injuries during his short career, which led him to abandon Rugby. Despite this, he continues to attend games and is friends with several players. Besides rugby, he also seems to like football a lot.
Hollywood
Before winning the role of Superman in DC Comics, Henry Cavill was once considered one of the most unlucky actors in Hollywood. He auditioned for several big roles, but was not called on for any of them.
An example of this was the 007 franchise. Henry was in the running for the role of James Bond, but lost to Daniel Craig. He also auditioned for Superman Returns, but it was Brandon Routh who wore the iconic cape, years before Cavill. In addition, he was almost Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but lost the role to Robert Pattinson.
Between Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray
Did you know that Henry Cavill was the main inspiration for the personification of Edward Cullen from Twilight? The author of the book saga, Stephanie Meyer, revealed that she was inspired by the character played by Cavill in The Count of Monte Cristo and how he emulated the vampire.
When the book was adapted for the big screen, the actor was considered too old for the role, which was given to Robert Pattinson. Subsequently, he was among the finalists to portray Christian Gray in the adaptations of another franchise that appeared in the literature, 50 Shades of Gray.
Eventually, A Prominent Role
His first prominent role was as Charles Brandon in The Tudors, the BBC’s award-winning British series. He was in all of the episodes of the four seasons of the series, a rare fact due to the high mortality rate of the characters.
In an interview with the series, Cavill said: “It was the role that brought me the most results. Now there is an audience in the United States that knows me, I am more profitable because of the Tudors. “
British Superman
Cavill struggled to get the role of Superman in the reboot directed by Zack Snyder, as stars like Jon Hamm, Joe Manganiello, Armie Hammer and Matthew Goode were in contention to play the hero.
The actor was devoted to the role, especially because he was the first British person to play the Man of Steel in theaters, and managed to disguise his accent exceptionally well. To prepare for the role he didn’t watch any Superman movies or series and relied only on the hero’s comics.
Animal Lover
Off-camera, the actor is a committed activist, especially for the protection of animals. On his home island, he became the ambassador for an environmental protection fund. In addition, he has his own charitable organization, Cavill Conservation.
Its goal is to defend endangered species, in addition to protecting abandoned animals. Furthermore, his greatest companion is Kal, an American akita named after The Last Son Of Krypton.
Physical Training
In order to characterize the Superman from the comics, Cavill had to go through a strict diet and physical training. He ate 5,000 calories daily and spent more than six hours at the gym per day. His fat percentage was 3%, the same value bodybuilders have during competitions.
“My body was rigid and slender, but the biggest change was that my waist became smaller, much smaller. I had to throw all my clothes away, because my shoulders were too big and my waist was too small. Nothing else suits me, I have never been so big “, confessed the actor.
Much More Than Just A Pretty Face
But it’s not just the muscles that Cavill puts to work. He is fluent in several languages, which include Spanish, French, Italian and, of course, English. Another of his great passions is history.
He even considered studying ancient civilizations, since he has a great passion for Ancient Egypt. Other areas of historical interest include Greek mythology and his inspiration for achieving his muscular physique for the Superman role, was inspired by adaptations of the historical Hercules.
