When Henry Cavill first started doing press, for stuff like The Tudors and Immortals, he was a big ol’ dork who talked about fantasy novels, and he was quite charming as a nerdy kid who grew up to be super hot but was still dorky on the inside. But as his star rose—especially once he was fed to the ravening superhero machine—the dorkiness and charm vanished and he became a cardboard cutout of a person. The Sony Hack revealed his status as “that lame Superman guy”, and we’ve all noted his lack of face-to-name recognition despite playing the most recognizable superhero in the world. A lot of that is because Cavill himself is a blank space in the public sphere. Seriously, besides “good looking” and “Kaley Cuoco”, how would you describe him? What defines Henry Cavill as a celebrity?
Well, if The Man from U.N.C.L.E. press tour has anything to do with it, some of that long-dormant charm might be coming back to give Cavill a public persona. In an interview with Mike Ryan, Cavill, alongside co-star Armie Hammer, is charming and funny, teasing Hammer and giving Ryan the gears for talking about their “chemistry”. This is the most personable Cavill has been in years, maybe ever. He’s open to talking about the divisive ending of Man of Steel—to his credit, Hammer also talks about The Lone Ranger mess—and he doesn’t ever come across as precious or defensive. This is not Miles Teller and “Joaq”, there is no posturing. Cavill comes across as confident and relaxed, and like he’s not taking himself too seriously. Be this person all the time, Henry! He’s really likeable, and more importantly, he’s MEMORABLE.
Bonus—Armie Hammer’s story about his cameo in the Entourage movie is GREAT.
Click here to read the interview.
Attached - Henry and Armie at the Canadian premiere of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in Toronto last night.
