Henry Cavill Superman Interview in EW
Posted by Rodneyon 17. 02. 2011in Headlines, News Chat
Entertainment Weekly has an interview with the new Superman Henry Cavill talking about the final test that decided how he got to be the Last Son of Krypton.
Entertainment Weekly
To become Hollywood’s new Man of Steel, Henry Cavill had to pass the Laugh Test. To wit: Could he wear the Superman suit without anyone giggling? And not just any Superman suit. To shoot his screen test last month, the 27-year-old British actor donned a replica of the costume Christopher Reeve wore in director Richard Donner’s classic 1978 film. By today’s standards, those sky blue spandex threads with the iconic S shield on the chest look dated—and hence an effective yardstick for the team now charged with making Superman fly for 21st-century moviegoers. “If you can put on that suit and pull it off,” says director Zack Snyder, “that’s an awesome achievement.”
As an assistant helped him into the suit, Cavill was feeling less than super. He certainly has the face for Superman—solid chin, defined cheekbones, piercing eyes, dark hair. He’s also 6′ 1″ and radiates intelligence, maturity, and all around good-guyness, though he’s too humble to say so himself. But Cavill worried that the rest of him wasn’t up to snuff. He had recently lost the muscle tone he gained to play a loincloth warrior in the mythic fantasy Immortals, due this November. “All I could think was, Oh, God, they’re going to look at me and go, ‘He’s not Superman. Not a chance,’ ” recalls Cavill, best known for playing Henry VIII’s buddy Charles Brandon on Showtime’s The Tudors. “The actor inside me was going, ‘You’re not ready! You’re not ready!’ ” Snyder saw something different. “He walked out and no one laughed,” says the director, a geek pop idol for his work on Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Watchmen. “Other actors put that suit on and it’s a joke, even if they’re great actors. Henry put it on, and he exuded this kind of crazy-calm confidence that just made me go, ‘Wow. Okay, this is Superman.’ ”
I would have to say that suit would be the most intimidating part of the role. Who wants to be running around in spandex tights with nothing but a cape to hide your dignity?
That’s a man of steel.
They had no doubts about his acting chops, but that final litmus test has it sold. I can’t wait to see how they play this off so that the suit doesn’t feel hokey.
In Returns, we were introduced to a world already familiar with Superman - so the suit was not as distracting, but now we are to experience the origin of the character who will be showing his persona to the world for the first time in that suit. There is a difference to be had there.
I hope they make some subtle changes to the costume, but still keep it in that style at its core.
This post was written by :
Rodney who has written 8744 posts on The Movie Blog
visit author's website | Contact the Author
I am so pumped about this even though it is so far out. Growing up a Marvel head I am just now coming into my DC own. These DC caracters are so massive in scale, I am really enjoying them and I cannot wait to see this movie.
I think DC has the edge right now when it comes to story telling and special events. They are taking risks, Marvel has been too but we expect that with them. It’s good to see DC stepping up to the plate and expanding their universe. I love what they are doing with Green Latern, Flash and Batman. Marvels Dark Reign and Heroic era is just as good. Just think, two guys are responsible for all this, Bendis at Marvel and Geoff Johns at DC. Marvel has the lead in movies though. I’m hoping Dark Knight Rises and Superman will start evening that battle too.
Another Marvel Head that recently grew fond of DC. I love the Green Lantern and Batman stories. Blackest Night needs an animated movie.
Also been playing DC Universe online if anyone wants to make a posse!
I am totally with you, I got a hold of Hush and Blackest Night and was ZOMG. The core DCU guys are just so great. I want to get DCUO what platform though PC or PS3?
How do I get online w/ Xbox 360? (DC universe games)
I’ve been playin’ DC vs Mortal Combat but still have my cherry w/ the online play
I’m another Marvel head BUT also have a fondness for the core characters of the DCU.
Flash,Auqaman hopefully are next
They are also a step ahead of Marvel in the animation(movie) department IMO, the full lengh movies they crank out are quality stuff. Really dug Green Lantern’s First Flight and Superman/Shazam vs Black Adam
Yep, you’re right, DC(Warner Bros) has them beat hands down in the animation department. From animated televised series to animated movies, Marvel can’t touch DC in that department. Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes is the only one that comes close. Not in amination quality but in story and character development.
I’m just not feeling excited about Superman this time around. It’s sort of weird to feel so “meh” about it since I’m such a huge Superman fan.
i completely agree. i had no problem with Routh as Superman in the last movie, they just needed a more action packed story and super villians that can match supermans strength is all.
i would’ve really loved to see Routh as Superman again, oh well. Hopefully this time around, they give the fans what they want.
It sort of sounds like the villian is going to be other kryptonians, i’d much rather see a villain like Darkseid or Doomsday, some of the alien villains in the mythology.
We have the technology, lets use it please.
Anyone who says that Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume looks dated, needs to be kicked in the head.
I prefer Reeve’s outfit any day over anything they can come up with. I mean look at the costume for Superman Returns, they just did way too many things to make it complicated. And don’t even get me started on those boots, ugh…
Bottom line is, when it comes to Reeve’s Superman suit, you can’t fit what wasn’t broken.
Ah, another origin story? Really? Yawn…
That was my feeling, too.
Also a marvelhead myself but yeah was surprised DC is actually very good if not as good or better, batman, superman and the justice league members really have great origins and storys behind them.
Lets hope wonderwoman series can import cast from smallville ;)
so, what is it with directors casting people ive never heard of as superheroes?
First andrew garfield, then this guy.
p.s.
i think Garfield was fantastic in social network, but thats only one movie and i still have never heard of the dude
I didn’t know that there was a rule that Superheroes could only be cast with known A-List actors.
These guys have their reasons for the casting. I have to at least have that much faith. If the movie fails it will do so as a full product, not based on an assumption this early in the development.
Last “A” list(then) actor cast in a Marvel Film was Ben Afflec and we all know how that went down right?
RDJ dont count when he was cast. Now he’s an “A” (always was though IMO)
i didn’t know I said only A class actors can play supers.
I am, however, saying that id like to see at least one known movie under his belt with a relevant role.
like “oh okay, the gypsi from snatch is playing azazel in xmen? Well sure he’s not famous but he’s played in a comic book movie and in clash of the titans in roles similar to that of azazel, so I feel good about this casting decision”
Vs
“So spiderman is being played by a guy I’ve never seen before. Furthermore in his only two movies he was a minor character and he played as a magician and a guy that helped make Facebook. I see how they came to make that decision…”
I would say Cavill has had a presence already with his supporting role in The Tudors. You may not have heard of him, but he was also a supporting role in Stardust, the lead in Tristan and Isolde and was the son of Mondego in Count of Monte Cristo.
He was also being considered for Bond before Craig got the gig, and was even considered for Bruce Wayne before Christian Bale became Batman.
Its not like this guy came out of nowhere.
Did a lot of people hear about Christopher Reeves, before he was cast? Or Mark Hamill before he was Luke Skywalker? Or Sam Worthington before he was in Avatar? Chris Pine before he was Captain Kirk? A lot of directors filming big budget/heroic type movies prefer unknowns for the role, and for good reason.
Cavill will have alot to do with success or failure of this film, and the pressure on the lead role to perform is always multiplied in a superhero film, having to provide a very specific kind of presence in what usually amounts to a dual role.
Im hoping that the pressure of the time constraints and script adjustments we are hearing about, leads to the kind of lightning in a bottle you get with films like Star Wars and Iron Man, that went through similar production struggles that lit a creative fire and helped its directors and actors bring their game to another level.
Im still holding out that this will be a good film. There are plenty of great stories to be told in the Superman mythos, hopefully whatever it was that got Nolan and Goyer excited about the project, Snyder can bring to the screen.
Looking at Cavill makes me wonder why they didn’t just go with Tom Welling. Welling would make a good Superman (as he has Clark Kent) and would bring lot’s of Smallville fans with him. I know this argument is well-covered ground, but Cavill isn’t THAT different looking.
I don’t have a lot of faith in this new Superman, but I hope they can do something with it.
Because if they went with Tom Welling it would be a Smallville movie.
Why not just go with Routh? He was awesome as Superman despite a weak script. Because if they went with Routh people would just think this is a sequel to Superman Returns.
With a reboot you need to stand out as new and fresh, tag-alongs from the past versions make people think they are connected.
Um, there’s more to it than looks. Cavill and Tom Welling are completely different when it comes to acting.
If they used Tom Welling, it would have to be a Smallville-universe movie. It couldn’t be its own thing. I’m not sure there’d be the audience for a Smallville movie, at least one that wasn’t made for TV or direct to DVD (indeed, they already did one of those :p).
Some of these post make me laugh from pure ignorance.
Go to any SuperHero Forum and you will see threads started up as long as 8 years ago talking about Cavill would be the perfect Superman. Actually, he was the lead to play Sups in “Superman Returns” until Bryan Singer took over and totally changed up the cast and put Routh in as the lead roll. Singer thought Cavill looked to young at the time for the Superman Singer had in mind.
After Superman Returns, the hype train just sky-rocketed among fans to cast Cavill as the lead Roll for the next Superman Movie. There is actually a thread with over 100 pages just dedicated to Henry Cavill to play the next Superman, and this thread is over 3 years old!!!
Cavill is gonna be amazing, no one here got to see his audition, and with Nolan behind this one, we can be sure we will get something special here.
After hearing Cavill finally got the lead, I think I almost pee’d my pants in excitement! No JOKE!!!
Persoanlly, I feel Routh lacked the carisma and emotion that someone such as Christopher Reeves had. Yes, Superman Returns had a bad script, but even through-out the love scenes with Lous, Routh lacked this. This Carisma and emotional aspect of Sups is something Cavill has, watch some of this mans movie’s, he is amazing and his characters shine and get you emotionally attached to them.
There have been Pics modified showing what Cavill would look like in the Sups roll, and they cannot have picked a better looking Sups aswell.
No worries guys, just as long as we have a good script this time (I feel it will be, to much money to be lost here, I feel they learned from the last Movie) this is gonna be great people! :)
My question is why isn’t tom welling the new superman everyone wants it. I’ve been a fan of smallville since it first started and he’s an amazing actor that deserves the role of the new superman after doing 10 years on smallville and season 10 he even wears the costume and its perfect for him. Me and all my firends love smallville and just aren’t even gunna bother wasting money on watching the new superman film because tom welling isn’t in it you’ve made a massive mistake not casting him in the film and the millions of smallville fans will agree with me on this subject.
Because Tom Welling is THAT world’s version of Superman called THE BLUR.
Welling ISNT Superman, and this is not a Smallville movie.
The decade of Smallville proves that he would be the perfect choice to play Clark Kent in Smallville: The Movie. This in no way qualifies him to play the same character in a completely different and completely unrelated franchise based off of the same source material.
Millions of Smallville fans don’t agree with you, while there are some who are under the same illusion that he should somehow be considered. I am a massive Smallville fan since the first episode, but even I can see that this would be a mistake to make Welling Superman in a non-smallville production.
Tom Welling is Smallville, this movie is NOT Smallville. It is not a mistake to over look him for the role. He was never considered. The same way they declined to offer the job to Brandon Routh. Fans thought he “deserved” it after playing such a good Superman in a poorly recieved Superman Returns, but they couldn’t use him because this is not related at all to that franchise. Few complained about Routh’s performance when complaining about that film.
But he was THAT Superman, and this is a new franchise unrelated to THAT Superman.