Henry Cavill Had To Fulfill A Ridiculous Condition For One Of His First Roles

Henry Cavill began acting while he was still in school, appearing in a production of "Grease" in between trips to the rugby field. The young performer must have taken to the stage; he began seeking a film acting career as soon as he graduated. Cavill landed his first professional role in 2001 in a film called "Laguna." He was only 18. The following year was busy for the young man, as he appeared in a TV movie adaptation of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," an episode of the British crime drama "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries," and in the somewhat high-profile studio version of "The Count of Monte Cristo." The Alexandre Dumas adaptation also starred Jim Caviezel, Luis Guzman, and Guy Pearce, and it was put out by Spyglass Entertainment, so the 19-year-old Cavill was suddenly in front of millions.

Cavil paid his dues for a few more years (appearing in the eighth "Hellraiser" movie along the way), but his star continued to slowly rise. In 2006, he starred in both "Red Riding Hood" and an adaptation of "Tristan & Isolde." Shortly after, he worked with Matthew Vaughn on "Stardust" and with Woody Allen on "Whatever Works." Cavill then played Theseus in Tarsem Singh Dhandwar's underrated gonzo mythology adventure "Immortals," and that seemed to prepare him for one of his most visible roles in 2013: playing Superman in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel." Cavill would return to the role a few more times in the ensuing decade.

Back when he was auditioning for "The Count of Monte Cristo," however, Cavill was still a little nervous about his abilities, and he was especially concerned about his appearance. It seems that as a schoolboy, Cavill wrestled with his weight, often shamed for his size. As he explained to GQ in 2013, the makers of "Monte Cristo" tapped into Cavill's body anxieties ... by asking that he lose weight for his role in the film.

It may be difficult to picture someone as handsome as Cavill being sensitive about his appearance, but a litany of childhood bullying left a deep mark on the actor's psyche. He became eternally conscious of his weight, and started to make unhealthy judgments of his own body. In his own words:

"I was overweight when I went to school. In fact, I was overweight when I left, just taller. Fatty Cavill was the nickname. I mean, no one wants to be Fatty Cavill. [...] It stuck with me for a while, actually. I was always conscious of my weight afterwards. I've had girlfriends in the past who have said, 'No, really, your weight's fine, you look great', but I just didn't believe them."

At some point, though, Cavill stopped feeling insecure about his weight and started to feel angry whenever someone brought it up. He recalled that the emotional shift same when he was auditioning to play the role of Albert in "The Count of Monte Cristo." The producers liked Cavill, but, it seems, thought he wasn't thin enough. Curiously, the producers confided in Cavill's mother, who had accompanied the young actor to the audition. That, Cavill explained, was the last straw:

"They took her aside to tell her that I really needed to lose weight in order to get the part. And she had to tell me. I was like, 'If I'm overweight, why can't they tell me themselves!' I was really pissed off. But I managed to lose a stone and a half in a very short time."

A stone, for American readers, is 14 pounds. So yeah, Cavill was quite slim for "Monte Cristo." Ever since then, the only physical requirements Cavill has taken on for roles have been to bulk up his muscle mass for movies like "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." These days, Cavill is a model in addition to being an actor.