Page 91 - Men’s Health - USA (December 2019)
P. 91
alienation he experienced as a teen—the the next several years, he found himself him as runner-up: He missed out on lead
way people made him feel overweight and “living on sofas, and by the good grace of roles in Tristan + Isolde, Twilight, and an
undervalued—helps explain the roles he’d girlfriends and friends.” Cavill auditioned early Superman fi lm that was never real-
seek out: the imperfect heroes who must regularly—and sometimes terribly. For ized. “I wasn’t ecstatic about not getting
push themselves to physical and emotional 2003’s The Lion in Winter, he read with these things,” Cavill says, “but I was so
extremes just to be understood by others. Patrick Stewart and walked out fl ustered. used to disappointment from the acting
“I was so shit,” he says. But at least he went business, and also from boarding school.
back and tried a second time—a move that ‘No, you’re not good enough’—that wasn’t
earned kudos from Stewart. “It’s terrifying anything new to me.”
WAS NEAR the end of Cavill’s board- going into auditions,” Cavill says. “You put He did procure a four-season run on the
ing-school years that he landed his first your hand into a dark hole and just hope Showtime historical drama The Tudors
movie role, as a wide-eyed 19th-century that something comes out. It’s not like and later a role in the madcap swords-
teen in 2002’s adaptation of The Count of being fast or strong, or being good at foot- and-slaughter fantasy film Immortals.
Monte Cristo. Director Kevin Reynolds, ball. Sometimes the acting is just bad.” That 2011 hit, which featured Cavill as a
who’d worked on such blockbusters as His most infamous tryout took place in virtuous Greek action fi gure, would reach
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, auditioned the mid-’00s, when he was up for a role that number one in the U. S., make a quarter
“a crop of tadpoles,” he says, before settling seemed well suited to his black-tie-ready of a billion dollars worldwide, and expose
on Cavill, who was just 17. Cavill also ended handsomeness and deep-voiced dryness: him to fi lmgoers—in every way possible.
up in a relationship with a woman he met James Bond. To screen-test, he had to “It was my fi rst experience working on a
through one of his on-set colleagues. “I walk out of a bathroom wrapped in a towel movie and having my shirt off for most of
really hadn’t dated much at that point,” he and reenact a scene from one of the Sean the damn time,” he says. He was put on a
says. “I had my fi rst love on that movie.” Connery–era fi lms. “I probably could have strict six-month diet and underwent exten-
Cavill appears in only a few moments of prepared better,” Cavill says. “I remem- sive martial-arts training to help him slim
Monte Cristo, but the job earned him an ber the director, Martin Campbell, saying, down. “It’s very emotionally taxing,” he
agent and convinced his parents he should ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry.’ I says. “When you add the lack of food and the
pursue acting full-time. Reynolds, who’d didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m pressure on top of that, it’s tough.”
helped shape Kevin Costner’s career, was glad Martin said something, because I When Immortals was released, Cavill
another early believer. “Even back then,” respond well to truth. It helps me get better.” was already halfway through fi lming Man
the director says, “I felt like Henry had the Cavill recalls being the 002 choice for of Steel, making him the third actor, and
moxie and the ability to become a star.” The 007, losing out to Daniel Craig. It was the the fi rst Brit, to depict the hero onscreen.
rest of the industry wasn’t so sure. Over beginning of a long run that positioned Man of Steel required more working out
MEN’S HEALTH / December 2019 93
