“Superman” and “The Witcher” Star Henry Cavill Covers December Issue of Men’s Health Magazine

Superman’s Henry Cavill covers the December issue of Men’s Health, on stands 11/26. Inside, he shares about growing up as a chubby kid and his teenage nickname, “Fat Cavill” plus – he addresses the rumors swirling around his reign as Superman and his new role as The Witcher.

On reprising his three-time role as Superman: “The cape is in the closet. It’s still mine.”

On speculation that his time in the cape is finished: “I’m not going to sit quietly in the dark as all the stuff is going on. I’ve not given up the role. There’s a lot I have to give for Superman yet. A lot of storytelling to do. A lot of real, true depths to the honest of the character I wasn’t to get into. I want to reflect the comic books. That’s important to me. There’s a lot of justice to be done for Superman. The status is: You’ll see.”

On reminiscing about his days as an English boarding school student in the late ‘90s: “I had my whole life ahead of me as a kid back then. I believed in myself. But I was terrified nothing was going to happen.”

On his teenage nickname at boarding school, Fat Cavill: “I was a chubby kid. I could’ve very well gone down the route of just accepting my lot in life and being like, ‘I guess I’m not going to do anything.’”

On how acting helped him feel more comfortable in front of others: “It actually helped me survive. Even the kids who were nasty to me at times and took pleasure in squashing me—when I fin­ished a play, they’d say, ‘Wow, you’re really good.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, this is where I draw my strength from.’”

On auditioning regularly, and sometimes terribly, in the beginning of his career: “It’s terrifying going into auditions. You put your hand in a dark hole and just hope that something comes out. It’s not like being fast or strong, or being good at football. Sometimes the acting is just bad.”

On missing out in leading roles in Tristan + Isolde and Twilight: “I wasn’t ecstatic about not getting these things, but I was so used to disappointment from the acting business, and also from boarding school. ‘No, you’re not good enough’ – that wasn’t anything new to me.”

On preparing for the 2011 hit Immortals: “It was my first experience working on a movie and having my shirt off for most of the damn time. It’s very emotionally taxing. When you add the lack of food and the pressure on top of that, it’s tough.”

On subjecting himself to tortuous training for his roles, including high-intensity intervals and body-building exercises: “I’m representing important characters here. I don’t want to be a dumpy Geralt or a fat Superman. I know what it feels like to go from out of shape to in shape, and [afterwards] I’ll look at myself like, ‘Man, well done.’ It’s not like I’m a golden god – I’m just proud of what I achieved. And then you can take your clothes off in front of your significant others, and they’re like ‘Goddamn, you look great! Like, ‘Yes! I’m making other people happy.’”

On his role in The Witcher and the largest fantasy-and-fandom culture it represents: “I like that realm. These characters matter a lot to people, and they matter a lot to me.”

On his fictional character Geralt in The Witcher: “It’s funny how much he’s actually like us. Geralt has that thing of trying to damn hard and being misconstrued or not appreciated – of people having a negative opinion of you, despite you actually trying to do the right thing.”

[Photo Credit: Ben Watts/Men’s Health Magazine]

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