Stepping into the big shoes of Superman after the pioneer Christopher Reeve’s effort, is no mean task. While there have been multiple actors after Reeve who have played the role of the celebrated superhero, Henry Cavill’s version of Superman is one that stands apart. The actor, propelled by Zack Snyder’s vision, brought a dark edginess to the character that made his portrayal unique while also finding favor with hardcore DC fans.
But The Witcher star was not always sure about his ability to take on the iconic DC superhero. In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cavill confessed that he had major doubts about how he would be perceived as Superman and his fears regarding failure.
Henry Cavill Thought His Superman Audition Was A Failure
Despite audiences and critics claiming that Henry Cavill was the perfect choice to play Superman in the DCU, the actor himself had trepidations about his chances to portray the iconic character. Cavill’s doubts arose from the fact that the weight he had lost to star in Bruce Willis’s The Cold Light of Day prior to the Superman audition, did not coordinate with the desire physique that the superhero required. Speaking of his fear after seeing himself for the first time in the iconic suit, the actor confessed,
“All I could think was: ‘Oh, god. They’re going to look at me and go ‘He’s not Superman. Not a chance.’ The actor inside me was going: ‘You’re not ready! You’re not ready.”
Cavill ultimately got the part thanks to Zack Snyder who saw the spark of Superman in him. But the actor still maintains that he cringes at his first audition of himself in the iconic suit stating that he looked like ‘s**t’.
Henry Cavill Was Always Destined To Play Superman
Despite his fears about doing justice to Superman, Henry Cavill has been widely regarded as the perfect choice to play DC’s most celebrated superhero. The character though, was always part of his destiny. While the actor made his DC debut in 2013 with Man of Steel, he was considered to play the character many years before that when Terminator Salvation Director McG was tipped to helm a DC project involving Superman. The film though did not materialise and Cavill in a interview, spoke of the reasons behind it.
“I don’t know how close I came. I understand it was very, very close and sadly the movie was canceled because McG didn’t want to fly. He certainly had a big fear of flying at the time; I think he’s since overcome it.”
With Cavill’s shocking departure from the DCU as Superman following James Gunn’s appointment as DC head, speculation is rife about who will be the next to take up the mantle and more importantly, if he could live up to the high expectations set by the British star.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
