If you’re asking yourself, “Henry who?” You either A. don’t own a television. B. don’t like superhero movies or C. were so dazzled by Henry’s musculature in his various roles that you didn’t pay attention to his name. (I can’t really blame you for C.) Don’t fret, though, because I’m here to make you better acquainted.
I’ve been a fair-weather fan of Henry Cavill’s for years, ever since spotting his tall, dark and handsome self playing the son of Jesus Edmond Dantes in the Count of Monte Cristo. Since then, Henry’s gone on to bigger and better things, most recently donning the red and blue spandex and iconic S in this summer’s blockbuster Man of Steel.
In order to help you get the whole picture, I’ve compiled the following stats and video clips that will help you realize why Henry is wholly deserving of the title of Your Next Fake Boyfriend.
Biographical Details:
Fake Boyfriend Name: Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill
Name says: Super posh. Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a name for princes and kings. Others seem to agree, as IMDB reports that one of his nicknames is “Most Dashing Duke.”
Date of Birth: May 5, 1983
Age says: At 30-years-old, Henry is (hopefully) past the stereotypical wildness of a man’s teens and 20s. Plus: If you, like me, are a child of the early 80s, you could have long candlelight dinners with Henry during which you bond over fond memories of living through the 90s, including discussions about the golden age of cartoons and neon accessories.
Place of Birth: The Bailiwick of Jersey, Channel Islands (United Kingdom)
Birthplace says: Accent. (At least for us non-UK peeps.)
Education Background: St. Michael’s Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, and Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England
Education says: Well-educated; played rugby; is polite to a fault and has good posture; always knows what fork to use during a full-course dinner.
Where You Didn’t See Him: Henry was Stephenie Meyer’s first choice to play The Twilight Saga’s Edward Cullen (but was too old by the time filming started), so the role went to Rob Pattinson. Related: Henry was also up for the role of Harry Potter’s Cedric Diggory, which ultimately also went to RPatzz. (Geezus, Rob, give the guy a break!)
Other roles Henry didn’t get: James Bond (went to Daniel Craig) and Clark Kent in Superman Returns (went to Brandon Routh).
Where You Have Seen Him: Most recently, you’ve seen Henry playing an amazingly hairy chested beefy Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman in Man of Steel. Before that, however, he starred as Theseus in Immortals, the Duke of Suffolk—Charles Brandon—in The Tudors, Humphrey in Stardust, The Hunter in Red Riding Hood and Melot in Tristan + Isolde, among other roles.
Where You’ll See Him Next: If you haven’t seen Man of Steel yet, get thee to a theater! Otherwise, look for Henry in the upcoming The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (directed by Guy Ritchie!) and quite possibly in the just-announced-at-SDCC Superman/Batman movie.
Circumstantial Evidence:
If you’re more of a visual learner, I hope the clips below help you understand why you and Henry are totally MFEO (made for each other).
Henry had a pretty intense workout regimen leading up to and through Man of Steel filming. Here’s an example (via the National Guard) of that workout:
This Man of Steel trailer shows the results of all that sweating:
Henry’s done a lot of press for Man of Steel recently, including:
An appearance on Jay Leno—in which he reveals his nerdy side: He was playing World of Warcraft when he received the call that he got the starring role.
An appearance with the cast on The Graham Norton Show. (Henry appears at the 4:25 mark.)
And an interview with Vanity Fair, in which he shows off his curls.
Prior to Man of Steel, Henry starred in Immortals. Here’s a clip of him and co-star Luke Evans talking about the movie … and sex scenes. (Speaking of, here’s a video that compiles many of Henry’s love scenes. This one’s definitely NSFW, FYAers, so save it for home viewing.)
Henry is/was also the face of Dunhill (a British fragrance brand). The commercials show that he would have made a most excellent 007.
Henry also went to the Chinese desert once (on The Discovery Channel’s Driven to Extremes):
And finally, here’s a clip of Henry in The Count of Monte Cristo that proves—much like a fine wine—Henry only gets better with age.
