Henry Cavill's Favorite Movie (And Actor) Of All Time

Henry Cavill might have just missed out on being Bond early in his career, but that didn't stop him from becoming a star. The Brit's show business journey hasn't been without a few missteps, such as when he was roped into Dwayne Johnson's bizarre attempt to remain in the now defunct DC Extended Universe, or when he abandoned "The Witcher" after having lobbied hard for the lead role of Geralt. But despite these setbacks, Cavill has become a household name and part of his success is down to the man's alarming commitment to his craft.

Much like his "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" co-star, Tom Cruise, Cavill has maintained a single-minded devotion to doing whatever is necessary to finish whatever project he's working on. With "Fallout," that manifested as a refusal to give up on a particularly difficult helicopter scene, with Cavill telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2021:

"It's what they call mental stamina — because what you believe is your physical boundary is actually just a mental boundary. It was extraordinarily uncomfortable; my body did not want to keep getting back in the helicopter, but I just kept doing it." 

With "The Witcher," Cavill almost went blind because he refused to acknowledge there was an issue with his contact lenses. All of which is a testament to a kind of singular zeal the man has for just getting the job done. To what could we attribute such a remarkably durable spirit? Well, it's tough to say without knowing the intricate details of Cavill's life, but interestingly enough, Russell Crowe might have something to do with it.

These days Russell Crowe is known for making a worrying amount of exorcism movies, but back when a young Henry Cavill was eyeing a Hollywood career, he was better known as the star of such unimpeachable modern classics as Ridley Scott's 2000 epic "Gladiator." It's not all that surprising, then, that Crowe is Cavill's favorite actor, as the Brit would have been an impressionable 16 when "Gladiator" — his favorite film — debuted. Speaking to GQ back in 2013, Cavill confirmed that the New Zealand-born star was and is his favorite performer, and told a remarkable story of how he met his idol prior to becoming an actor.

At 16, Cavill was attending Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, where Crowe was shooting his film "Proof of Life," shortly after "Gladiator" had bowed. Cavill was one of many students who were asked to be extras, and perhaps utilizing that same drive that propelled his acting career, seized his opportunity to talk to Crowe while his peers stood in silence. The actor told GQ, "I thought, we kind of look ridiculous, standing there, looking over at this famous actor. And I want to be an actor. So I thought I may as well go over and ask this guy about it."

After approaching Crowe and introducing himself, Cavill asked the star what his dream job was really like, with Crowe giving him a well-rounded summary of the ups and downs of being an actor. Before the pair parted, however, Crowe added, "But if you want to go for it, then really go for it. Commit."

After that, Cavill recalled how other students began mobbing his idol for autographs, prompting the young student to shepherd Crowe through the mob. "Because I thought," said Cavill, "the last thing you want is to be asked for autographs." After this, Cavill received a package from Crowe, which included some Jersey sweets (as a nod to Cavill's Jersey heritage), a jar of Vegemite, a CD of Crowe's band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, and a picture of Crowe as Maximus in "Gladiator." The photo also featured a message from the actor, which read: "Dear Henry, a journey of 1,000 miles begins in a single step. Russell." As of 2013, Cavill had still not opened the package fully, and kept it in his bedroom for luck.

13 years after Henry Cavill's fortuitous meeting with Russell Crowe, the pair would appear together in 2013's "Man of Steel" — Cavill's debut as Superman. In the film, Crowe played Clark Kent's father, Jor-El and, according to Cavill in a 2015 Men's Journal interview, remembered him from their brief encounter back in 2000. Sadly, Cavill's legacy as the Man of Steel can be summed up as him being a great Superman who never got a good Superman movie. But in terms of the man's career as a whole, he clearly took at least some of what Crowe had said to heart.

The "Gladiator" star's advice to "commit" seems to characterize so much of Cavill's approach to his career, with the actor demonstrating a commitment to his roles that borders of obsessive. Cavill is now set to lend his jawline to another fan-favorite geek franchise in a "Voltron" movie from "Red Notice" director Rawson Marshall Thurber. He's also set to front the upcoming "Highlander" reboot and is executive producing as well as starring in a "Warhammer 40,000" adaptation for Amazon.

All of which is impressive considering his exit from "The Witcher" and his ignoble return and immediate dismissal from the DCEU with Dwayne Johnson's "Black Adam" seemed to indicate his career was taking a turn. But when you've got the words of Russell Crowe propelling you, it seems that you're never truly out of the game, and Cavill looks set to "commit" for years to come.