Henry Cavill's Deadpool & Wolverine Cameo Made Him Physically Sick

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is a movie that is loaded down with surprises. The return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was just the tip of the iceberg. One of the biggest of its many surprises is Henry Cavill, the actor best known for his portrayal as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, coming over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play a variant of Wolverine himself. And while it's a small scene, it has a major impact. It's also something Cavill truly dedicated himself to, so much that he actually made himself sick.

Speaking with The New York Times, director Shawn Levy broke down the secrets of "Deadpool & Wolverine," which now ranks as the biggest "X-Men" movie in the history of the franchise. Speaking about Cavill's cameo as a different version of Wolverine from the Marvel multiverse, Levy explained that the actor spent the whole day with the character's signature cigar in his mouth. That dedication had some consequences for Cavill:

"I think we all were, including poor Henry Cavill, who not only had that pumped-up muscular body but kept that cigar lit and in his mouth for the entirety of the shoot day. I remember hearing the next day that Henry was sick to his stomach because he had been inhaling cigar smoke for eight hours straight, but never once did he waver."

Cavill agreed to take on the role for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was being able to subvert expectations. Going from one of DC's biggest heroes to one of Marvel's biggest heroes was no small thing, even if he didn't get a lot of screen time. It would have been easy for Cavill just to show up and just have fun with it. Instead, it sounds like he went above and beyond, sickness be damned.

Audiences were naturally going to bring some of the real world into this one, and that allowed Cavill's appearance to have maximum impact. Starting with 2013's "Man of Steel," Cavill had a rough run as Superman in the DCEU. He never got a second solo movie, both "Batman v Superman" and "Justice League" were met with a very divisive response, and his surprise cameo in 2022's "Black Adam" ultimately led to nothing.

Shortly thereafter, it was announced that "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn was taking over as the co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. David Corenswet has been cast as the new Clark Kent and will make his debut in next year's "Superman," which Gunn directed. Speaking further, Levy explained that Cavill's exit as Superman ultimately paved the way for his role in the MCU:

"In the case of Henry, it was not long after everything went down with DC and word came that Henry was being replaced as Superman. Given that Deadpool is in constant conversation with culture, it felt like a great opportunity to first of all cast Henry Cavill in a part that he would kick ass at, but also to poke fun at that other comic-book-founded movie studio and play with some self-awareness there."

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is in theaters now.