Henry Cavill Opens Up About Childhood Bullying and Its Impact on His Confidence

As you may know, despite his immense popularity and dedicated fanbase, Henry Cavill hasn’t had the smoothest journey lately. His time as Superman has come to an end, with James Gunn choosing to replace him with David Corenswet. Cavill also stepped away from his leading role in The Witcher series, where he was succeeded by Liam Hemsworth. His recent film Argylle was a disappointment at the box office, and while he’s still active in the industry, his career isn’t quite where many would expect it to be.

His film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare performed reasonably well, but his highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000 project might be in jeopardy. This leaves him with the Highlander reboot, but only time will tell how he and the team will tackle one of the most beloved fantasy films of all time.

Despite these setbacks, Henry Cavill remains a beloved star and an inspiration to many, breaking stereotypes and achieving stardom while staying true to himself. However, his journey wasn’t always easy, particularly during his childhood, when he faced severe bullying due to his physical appearance—a struggle he’s opened up about in several interviews.

In an interview with Essentially Sports, Cavill opened up about his childhood, revealing that he struggled with obesity and was severely bullied because of his physical appearance.

“Fat Cavill was the actual name. But you know what? I was fat. And my name was still Cavill then. So, it was a fairly fitting nickname. (…) Cruel, but kids are cruel. At that age, kids are still stretching their social muscles. And I don’t think it’s malicious necessarily. They’re just pushing their boundaries socially and they’re just trying to find out where they fit and where everyone around them fit. And especially in boarding school. And especially in boarding school.”

Source: Essentially Sports

In an interview with The Guardian, Cavill discussed how the bullying he endured naturally shaped his personality, leading him to become highly self-critical, particularly regarding his own body.

“I’m very self-critical and I use that to motivate myself. If I look in the mirror, I might say, ‘You’re looking good!’ Other days, like today, because I’m off-season and haven’t been training, I’ll say, ‘Look at you, you fat fuck.’ I tell myself, ‘Mate, you’re a mess. If you were to meet a bird out in a bar and bring her home, she’s expecting Superman. This is not Superman and she’s going to be mega-disappointed.’”

However, Cavill emphasized that he holds no resentment and doesn’t dwell on the past. He has moved on, living his life the way he wants, without harboring any grudges against those who bullied him.

“I don’t hold any grudges and one of the terrible things about bullies is that they’re bullies for a reason. And, it’s probably because they are getting bullied. And from a far more dangerous place than a kid in school.”

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