‘Man Of Steel’ Star Henry Cavill Was Called ‘Chubby’ During A James Bond Audition

Henry Cavill’s chiseled form lounges in a bath (hey, it’s canon!) during the latest trailer for Netflix’s The Witcher, which has largely marketed itself upon views of his rear end, in addition to the whole monster-killling thing. And of course, mainstream audiences will probably always know Cavill best as the (Sculpted) Man of Steel from multiple Warner Bros. movies. Before his Superman days, though (and they might not be entirely over), Cavill experienced some discouraging times on the casting front. On that note, the Mission: Impossible – Fallout recently explained that a brutal (directorial) remark during his Casino Royale casting bid set him on a new path.

That path happened to be the road to the gym, for Henry revealed to Cinema Blend that being called “chubby” woke him up and motivated him to improve his odds of cinematic success through training and diet:

I probably could have prepared better. I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry.’ I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.

Right now, it truly seems absurd to think that Cavill was indeed a little chubby, but this actually isn’t even the first time that Henry has talked about his body transformation. As shocking as it might seem to hear this now, back in 2013, he told Vanity Fair that he was called “Fat Cavill” as a child. This led him to shed some weight at age 17 to score a role in The Count of Monte Cristo. Fast forward to 2019, and he’s turned down a stunt double to play Geralt of Rivia while constantly practicing with swords for months before filming.

Cavill seems pretty darn happy to have received that unsolicited advice early on in his career, and fans of The Witcher should appreciate the results when the Netflix series streams on December 20.