TOPIC: Впечатления на актьора Хенри Кавъл от участията му

[on developing an action star physique for Hollywood] In The Tudors I'd been in fine shape. But by the time I appeared in Immortals I was [so] sculpted . I didn't go that way for the sake of becoming an action actor. But there's a demand that you look a certain way in Hollywood. Man of Steel was the first time I had to bulk up in the full-on action-movie style, and I enjoyed it enormously. It's torture, but you enjoy the results that work brings. That's what excites me. It's rewarding.
[on the experience of playing Superman the first time as opposed to the second time] It's like shagging someone for the first time. Sometimes it turns out to be amazing. Mostly you're trying to get each other's rhythm going. It's on the next go that you start to expand. That's why I do [Superman]. You can't be pissed off at the idea of playing Superman for the rest of your life. It's a wonderful role. There's a huge potential there for complex storytelling, and I'm looking forward to exploring those avenues. People think Kryptonite can beat him. No. The only thing that can really beat Superman is Superman. His own moral choices. When you have that to start with, the storytelling can really delve into something rich. Come on, it's Superman! You can't think, 'Oh sorry, I'm just the granddaddy of all superheroes. It's such a pain.'
[on his biggest fashion faux-pas] I wore a terracotta double breasted suit recently in Rome, and people had a love-hate relationship with that jacket, but if I like it, then fuck everyone else.
[on the challenges of appearing shirtless on film] There's a period of gaining mass, when you consume vast amounts of fats, carbs, and proteins, combined with a heaving lifting regimen; that's followed by a "cut", when your caloric intake is drastically lowered and the fat essentially melts away to reveal chiseled muscle. The mass build is the fun part. You get to eat a lot, and you're lifting heavy weights. You feel really good because you've got big numbers going on the plates. But you're always aware that you'll have to eat less and start breathing more in order to show the muscles and the striations. It creeps up on you. That's the less-fun part. A lower caloric intake can also affect your moods. I had to be aware of my temper and try not to snap at people on the set. It's only during the final "leaning down" for the day of a shirtless shoot that food cravings begin to kick in.
[on why he developed an eight-pack physique for Immortals] Tarsem's brief was that he didn't want a "big" guy, he wanted a very ripped, very lean, very Greek statuesque type thing. He said after the very first meeting, "I don't want a six-pack, I want an eight-pack." I was far from having even a six-pack then, [let alone an eight-pack]. But I took it as a challenge. So I went for it.
[on always agreeing to take pictures with fans] People are very polite. They come up and ask (before taking a picture), and that makes a big difference. When people come up and ask, it's like "Okay, yes, of course." Rather than, "Hey could you stop taking a photo of me across the room because there's going to be one bad shot of me and that's the one you're going to put on the Internet? Don't do that."
[on competing at training and physical appearance with co-star Ben Affleck] We were training with different people, so there was no direct comparison. But there's always going to be competition between two men if they want to be superheroes.
[on putting his muscular Superman physique into suits for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.] I definitely had a bit of a problem with the suits. I don't normally keep a suit-blessed shape so the tailors had some struggles but it worked out in the end.
[on the extent to which he can deviate from his current physique] It's not as if I am going to be able to play a POW and then Superman again. My commitment lies with Superman first. Staying in shape is a point of professional necessity now. Working out has become a lifestyle choice for me. I've put on 30 pounds of muscle for this movie but calm it down to 10 pounds between films. To play Superman every two years I maintain a base level of 'extremely fit' before ramping it up to 'ridiculously cut' for filming.
[on playing his rivalry with Ben Affleck on set] Ben Affleck and I didn't compare biceps or see who could do the most sit-ups. We filmed our shirtless scenes separately and we didn't train at the same place either. Having said that, there was a form of rivalry, of competition, between us on the set. This was deliberate. The two characters absolutely can't stand each other in the film, and Ben and I wanted this to come across in every scene.
[his dating top for young men like himself] Stop looking to get laid, and look for someone who can make you the better version of you. That's going to make you happier, more than just getting laid will.
[on being comfortable with not always having his Superman body] I've found a comfortable balance, because we all like to go out for drinks and dinners and all the nice things in life, and not be a complete gym psycho. I stay fit enough to feel comfortable with taking my shirt off at the beach, because someone's going to take a photo, and then it won't all of a sudden be, "Hey look, fat Superman!" in the Daily Mail or something like that. It'll just be, "Hey, look, Henry Cavill at the beach," and I won't be ashamed to see that photo.
[on the importance of having a trainer in the gym] It's very important to have someone who can advise you on diet and what you're doing, as far as training is concerned. Thankfully, I have my trainer, Michael Blevins. If I say, "I want to have bigger hamstrings. They're nice and strong, but I want them to be bigger. What do I do?" He goes, "Okay, cool. Well, do this, this, and this." Once you get to the level of being fit, there are days when you go, "Today, I just want to dig a very deep hole and jump into it." Then sometimes you think, "I'm going to hurt myself today. Let's see if I still bleed." It's just going there, breathing, getting some endorphins flowing. Maybe you want to work on some muscle groups. Maybe you want to get leaner. So you can set tasks for yourself.
[on educating fans through his workout posts] A lot of working out today is, "Let's make it an easy fix." Do this, and do that, and you've got 60-second abs. There's no quick fix. Through my Instagram and my social media, I'm trying to send the message out there that it's a process. I like to get it out there that you don't have to endure a psychotic, agonizing workout. You don't have to leave it all on the floor every time. Hopefully through my social media I can help educate people.
[on his hesitation to lose his great physique for a role] I'm not going to be like, "Hey, I'm going to do a big fat-man role or a really skinny role because that's what all the big actors do these days!" I'm not going to choose work to make people go, "Oh, wow, he can really act because he can lose lots of weight!" If it were something I really cared about and I really wanted to have, like, an effect on an audience because it's subject matter that's very, very important to me, and I wanted to get it out there, then yeah, I could see myself doing it. Otherwise, no.
Travel's great as long as you're going first class. I mean, travelling to New Zealand in economy, it sucks. Especially if you're over six feet. But first class? I'm not going to ever pretend to be coy about that. I love it.
[on attaining CGI level of muscularity for his role as Geralt in The Witcher] I enjoy the physical challenge. I'm lucky enough to have the genetics that result in quick changes. I can get really quite big if I set my mind to it.
[on how his gym training for Mission Impossible differed from his other roles] It wasn't so much a matter of a very lean, six-pack kind of shape that Superman was because there's no shirtless aspect to this. But I had to look like I was the "hammer for the CIA". So I didn't have to do any sit-ups for this role.
[on injecting his masculinity into his film roles] When you know that there's going to be masculinity in a role, it's fun to play that. I am from a family of six men. It's great and I relish the opportunity to play more roles with masculinity in them.
[on an alternative career for himself apart from acting] I don't think a desk job is for me now that I've tasted otherwise. I can see where the excitement lies in finance, I can see where the addiction comes from. My brothers are in finance. It can be enormously enjoyable. I could have gone into it, sure, and be working in a place like this on a daily basis, it would be awesome.
[on having a much deeper voice now compared to when he starred in The Count of Monte Cristo] It's amazing how much it's changed. I mean to be honest if I sounded like this when I was seventeen, it would be cool, but I was shocked. Really shocked. I sounded like a Mickey Mouse version of myself! Didn't realize how high my voice was back then. Very high. Like, very high.
Salary (10)
Laguna (2001)
$413 223
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
$284 091
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002)
$21 650


I Capture the Castle (2003)
$162 338
Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
$142 045
Tristan + Isolde (2006)
$126 263
Red Riding Hood (2006)
$103 306