Henry Cavill laments that he can’t ‘chase women’ in the era of Me Too

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Henry Cavill covers the latest issue of GQ Australia. He’s promoting the latest Mission Impossible movie, the one with Tom Cruise (the one I don’t care about). The interview is mostly about Cavill’s life code, how he treats people with respect, how he tries to be a good guy, etc. There’s a sort of smarminess to him that I wish I could un-see, something which honestly reminds me of Tom Cruise. But then Cavill did something I wasn’t expecting him to do: he started spouting off some dumpster fire opinions about Me Too, dating and ladies. You can read the full piece here. Some garbage highlights:

His desire to find someone to spend his life with: “I’ve always been someone who’s put a lot of stock and value in the intimacy of a relationship, of a human partner,” he says. He loves his dog, Cal, and would defend him to the death, “but there’s something about having a girlfriend with whom you can share all the difficulties that you go through, or all the great stuff that you go through. It’s so nice to have someone to share the intimate moments with… Even if it’s just that unspoken communication of holding a hand.”

What he’s learned from the #MeToo moment we’re in. “I’ve been fortunate enough to not be around the kind of people who behave that way. To my memory there’s been no moments where I look back and think, ‘Ooh, OK, maybe someone shouldn’t have gone through that’. I know there have been situations with people I’ve worked with being perhaps overfamiliar with some of the actresses. But, I’ve always walked up to them and said, ‘Hey, are you all right? That’s creepy’.”

Whether the Me Too movement made him reexamine his own behavior: “I like to think that I’ve never been like that. I think any human being alive today, if someone casts too harsh a light on anything, you could be like, ‘Well, OK, yeah, when you say it like that, maybe.’ But it’s such a delicate and careful thing to say because there’s flirting which, for example, in a social environment is in context – and is acceptable. And that has been done to me as well, in return.”

Chasing women: “Stuff has to change, absolutely. It’s important to also retain the good things, which were a quality of the past, and get rid of the bad things. There’s something wonderful about a man chasing a woman. There’s a traditional approach to that, which is nice. I think a woman should be wooed and chased, but maybe I’m old-fashioned for thinking that. It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something’. So you’re like, ‘Forget it, I’m going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked’. But it’s way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I’m someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what’s going to happen? Now? Now you really can’t pursue someone further than, ‘No’. It’s like, ‘OK, cool’. But then there’s the, ‘Oh why’d you give up?’ And it’s like, ‘Well, because I didn’t want to go to jail?’”

[From GQ Australia]

This is the myth of Good Guy in action. The Good Guy sees no evil, hears no evil, speaks no evil, but when he does see something, he merely checks on the damsel in distress, perhaps in the hopes of chasing the fair maiden. Everything about equating flirtation and courtship with Me Too? Is he joking? No, he’s not joking. He’s one of those people who, when faced with the first person accounts of rampant sexual abuse, rape and harassment, has to suddenly muse about a simpler time when men were allowed to “flirt.” And why does he come across like the kind of guy who stalks women in the name of the “chase”?

Henry Cavill leaves a photoshoot for Hugo Boss with his dog Kal

Cover courtesy of GQ Australia, additional photos courtesy of WENN.

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78 Responses to “Henry Cavill laments that he can’t ‘chase women’ in the era of Me Too”

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  1. Kitty says:

    It baffles me that people don’t get the difference between flirting, and being a era odd keeps sayi you can’t flirt anymore…you can flirt without being a creepy pervert

    • Christine says:

      I agree with you, me being a 44 year old mother. However my 17 year old son came in to tell me that Superman thinks that you can’t flirt with someone or they’ll scream rape. My son, without ever having a girlfriend, was genuinely confused, scared and frustrated. We had a long discussion about what is and what isn’t appropriate. I told him so many things, things that I was so grateful that this pinhead (superman was a great teaching moment.

    • Louise177 says:

      It’s scary that so many men don’t know the difference between flirting and assault/harassment.

  2. kate says:

    Oh, FFS.

    • Lilly says:

      Right? Boo effing hoo.

    • Esmerelda says:

      He’s dumb. Really dumb. And a misogynist, clearly.

    • velourazure says:

      Men are so dense. Women are asking not to be RAPED and SEXUALLY HARASSED at work and on the street and men boil it down to “oh well, I guess I can’t even look at a woman now”.

      Don’t be a rapist. It’s simple.

      • SM says:

        He is clueless. How else to explain going from flirting to rape in one beat? Seriously, someone needs to eduacte him, but given he can’t hold a conversation with anyone older that 21, the teaching moment becomes a bit harder to come by. Of course he could jist listen what women hqve to say but that would require to not think about how he feels for a moment which probqbly is impossible for him

      • the Spiral says:

        This douche is sad, according to his own words, because he can’t “chase” women or “pursue someone further than ‘No'” anymore. That’s something an actual rapist would say. Sounds like he SHOULD be afraid.

  3. Jenns says:

    See what you’ve done, ladies?!? Poor Henry now has to go back to his ex-girlfriend, where he’ll be stuck in a loveless relationship for the rest of his life, because all of you made it illegal to say “hello”.

    God, he’s dumb.

    • Zapp Brannigan says:

      But he can’t go back to his ex-girlfriend either because she is on a school trip, what is a nice guy to do?

      “Now you really can’t pursue someone further than, ‘No’”
      Imagine that, listening to a woman when she says she is not interested and respecting her decision like she is some kind of person, whatever next!

    • Mac says:

      Instead of trying to woo and chase women, perhaps he should try communicating with them like they are his equal and have interesting and intelligent things to talk about.

  4. ichsi says:

    His main information on women comes from “How to act straight, a guide for actors deep in the closet” which was written in the 1930s, what did you expect?

    • Sid says:

      Yeah, that’s pretty much what popped into my head when I heard about this. It’s quite sad.

    • Parigo says:

      This. My gaydar is always off, but this one I tots believe.

    • Mia says:

      besides he’s been talking this “I want a woman relationship family line” etc since The Tudors

  5. notpretentious says:

    Eff off spiderman! Lol!

  6. Toc says:

    If a man can’t see the clear difference between flirting and sexual harassment/abuse and think women are “crazy” enough to mistake both… he is the problem. So stay at home and call the 19 year old ex. If the rumors about how he treated Gina Carano are true, she will never pick up his call.

    • Korra says:

      I can’t imagine him making good boyfriend material, but what are the rumors regarding Carano?

    • the Spiral says:

      Right? He’s managed to creep out women he doesn’t know AND make all his exes hate him, all in one stupid quote. It’s almost like he doesn’t like women at all! Oh wait…

  7. Who ARE These People? says:

    Wow, he’s stupid.

  8. Lyla says:

    I think he’s flirting wrong if he thinks that he’ll be accused of rape by simply going up to a woman and flirting. Also you wanna know a life hack to avoid being accused of rape? Don’t rape. Simple as that.

  9. tealily says:

    It depends on what you mean by “chase,” Henry. Seriously, though, he is in the same breath saying that he’s never been around people who “behave that way” and that he has multiple times checked in on an actress after “creepy” behavior. Who are the mysterious ghosts perpetrating this “creepy” behavior he sees but isn’t around?

    This sounds like someone who has absolutely no idea what appropriate behavior is.

  10. Miles says:

    Men really just want to be victims. Henry’s comments remind me of what the guy who assaulted Taylor Swift literally just said in an interview: he can’t go near women now because he lives in fear of what may happen to him and that Taylor ruined his life.

    It’s all about me, me, me, me, me! It’s not about what the women (and men like Terry Crews for example) who’ve been sexually assaulted are going through. And equating flirting with rape? Why are men the way they are….

  11. Lola says:

    Don’t get mad at me but I understand his point of view. The man is drop dead georgeous, rich and famous. I think he is implying that he has to be really careful who he dates as someone can take advantage of his position to twist his actions (in this case “chasing a woman”) to make it look like he was being aggressive to the woman or forcing her to do something against her will. Lets not forget that many of these actors and actresses make people sign NDA because of these reasons, I know women that are aggressive to their partners and switch the tables to pretend to be the victims. I am a fan of the “Me Too” movement, but in some situations men have to be careful not to be trapped in false accusations

    • tealily says:

      I don’t think that’s what he’s saying though. He doesn’t say anything about fearing false accusations. It sounds more like he’s worried that his actions will be interpreted as harassment.

    • Anon33 says:

      Girl, bye. Do you have any idea of the actual rate of “crazy women” who “flip accusations” around??? It’s literally something like ONE for every THOUSAND ACTUAL VICTIMS. Save your damn sympathy, and get educated.

      • Veronica S, says:

        I’m sure all of those men who are victims of domestic and sexual violence truly appreciate their suffering being weaponized to undermine a movement addressing systemic misogyny and sexual abuse. Too bad all of these ~concerned citizens~ aren’t addressing it by, you know, actively supporting the lack of socioeconomic resources for them.

      • Amelie says:

        It does happen though, maybe not often but it does. An extremely infamous example is the Duke lacrosse rape case. This happened right before I went to college so I remember it VERY well. The stripper proved herself to not be credible, she had a history of lying and manipulative behavior, and the case was thrown out. I don’t know what the 3 guys who were accused of the rape were like but you can’t help but feel sorry for them as this essentially forever ruined their lives. When you google them the case is the first thing that will always pop up as long as they live.

        Oh and the stripper went on to try to kill a boyfriend, then successfully stabbed another boyfriend to death, so she’s in jail now. I couldn’t make this up even if I tried.

      • Lady D says:

        The ratio is 3-7 women out of every 100 fling false accusations. So for people like some posters, this twit, and Taylor’s harasser it means that when you call one woman a liar, you are actually calling between 93 -97 women liars also.

      • the Spiral says:

        Rape apologists LOVE to pull out the few examples they can find of women making false or exaggerated claims in order to discredit the many more women who make true claims, and the many MANY more women who don’t make claims at all because they’re afraid of being disbelieved. It’s a tried and true tactic, but it’s not working so well anymore now that so many real criminals are being exposed. Doesn’t stop them from trying though!

      • Amelie, one of the biggest reasons that the Duke lacrosse team case is so infamous is because false rape accusations are so rare.

    • Veronica S, says:

      Like Henry, it may be wise for you to stop talking while you’re ahead.

    • chips n sticks says:

      WTF. I mean WTF Lola/Sarain

      • Xi Tang says:

        Interesting that the Duke lacrosse incident is the one that’s always brought up by people who try to defend the indefensible.
        Wonder why there aren’t many other examples hmmm………

  12. Franny says:

    Maybe it’s MeToo…maybe it’s the herpes

  13. Maum says:

    I’m sorry, but no.
    Flirting is fun as long as it is consensual and if a woman is not interested she will be very clear about it.

    He’s probably one of these guys who can’t handle women chatting him up.

  14. meg says:

    ‘chasing women’ shouldn’t be taken literally. the way he said it, made it sound like he’s literally chasing women as opposed to expressing interest in a respectful way and LISTENING to her response, verbal and nonverbal. and if he’s unsure why not ASK HER, ‘hey, is this cool? we just met I don’t know you well, please let me know if this is ok or not. I want you to feel safe.’ but no. he sounds like many men who say, ‘women are impossible to understand’ have you ever asked a woman if she was ok? or do you simply guess and then get mad when your guess isn’t right? we’re human beings, not a puzzle to figure out. check in with us, but many men don’t treat women like human beings with feelings we can verbalize

    • the Spiral says:

      Oh no, he clarified exactly what he means by ‘chasing’ women. He helpfully followed up by explaining how unfortunate it is that he “can’t pursue someone further than, ‘No’” anymore. He’s upset because he is now forced to listen to women and take their consent seriously, unlike the good “old fashioned” days when we were treated like property and rape culture went unquestioned. What a gentleman.

  15. madlibby says:

    blows my mind anyone thinks this guy is straight….google him before he was famous…

    • Mia says:

      I know right. I remember a photo of him at a pool party. sis looked like he found the key to Beyonce’s lace front wig closet.

  16. Mia4s says:

    Annnd, the apology is out:

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/henry-cavill-apologizes-misunderstanding-metoo-comments-1126555

    Annnd, if you believe a word of this actually came from him I have a rather nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Well written Mr or Ms publicist.

    • chips n sticks says:

      Did you read the comments from that article? Most of them are saying he shouldn’t have apologized.

    • spargel says:

      Ew. Pro tip: if a dude opens a statement with “I have nothing but honour and respect for WOMEN OMG MONOLITHIC CULTURE WOMEN”, rest assured he has problems with, you know, women.

  17. CK says:

    Me before reading this: Henry Cavill should just stfu and look pretty.
    Me now: He can go away. Hot actors are a dime a dozen.

  18. SympathyRage says:

    Last year I had the incredible opportunity to welcome some baby chicks into my life (I love animals, so it is an absolute dream come true!). One of them turned out to be a boy. I loved him so much. He nearly died, and then recovered and became this incredible dragon. But dragon he was. He went from being a snugglebus to literally chasing the women in his life. One second he was placidly grazing, and the next he would be sprinting as fast as he could go at whichever victim he had selected, and he would rape her. There is no other word to describe poultry sex acts. The sheer terror, the brutality, was a wake up call. I will never, ever see men in the same light again. The only good man is a woman, frankly.

  19. Bliss 51 says:

    Really? Stifling my laughter.

  20. Tania says:

    Superman is my favorite super hero of all time. He’s the only super hero I know who does the opposite of other super heroes. He becomes human to blend in; he’s in his natural state as a mere super hero when he’s fully caped. But Cavill is really ruining it for me, and I was a Justice League apologist. I love Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. With the right director at the helm (Nolan, Jenkins) there are very few movies that are better (save Coogler for Black Panther).

    We really need to shake up DC. Stop being so milquetoast and maybe get a black Superman out there. Why are aliens white? Please, get me another Superman before I have to cancel another hero from my childhood!

  21. Incredulous says:

    *Red Foreman voice* DUMBASS!

  22. Annie says:

    His bodyguards are thugs btw. Every time I see him I’m reminded of a time I saw one of his bodyguards shove away a tiny teenage girl at Comic Con just because she wanted to look at him as he was signing autographs. She was lookig at him from afar. He sees this behavior and says NOTHING. It’s not the only time I’ve seen that. In NYC I saw the same thing. He’s totally cool with it. One of those guys legit looks like a mobster. Middle aged, white, bald, smarmy.

    You know that time Bella Hadid scolded her bodyguard for being rough on some kid? That’s decency. Imagine playing Superman and needing these thugs to push people away for you. They can protect you, sure, but rough physical contact against harmless kids makes you look like a douche who hates his fans. These weren’t big neckbeards or autograph hounds. These were young kids. He could learn a lot from Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the Potter kids. They know their fanbase and are gracious to them.

    • Lyla says:

      Ugh. That’s gross. I hate it when stars treat their fans badly. Like where does he think he would be without fans?

    • spargel says:

      Especially at a fan forum like Comic Con… Even if dealing with fans is a grind, YOU ARE AT COMIC CON. Smile and take your money there, even if your MO on the street is asking for your privacy.

    • Meggles says:

      Awful. At ACE last month Tom Hiddleston ended up shouting at the con organizers (and being shouted at) because he was insisting on taking the time to stop and chat to everyone personally and they kept yelling to hurry up and for it to be more of a conveyor belt.

  23. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    He’s a doorknob.

  24. Kate says:

    Applauding Kaiser’s excellent thumbnail photo selection, once again. I always giggle when the subject of an article is being gross and there is an appropriately stupid face to go with it.

  25. Lilly says:

    For a palate cleanser here’s a GQ interview with Michael Bennett. I’m sad he’s not a Seahawk anymore, but I’m boycotting the NFL this year anyway.
    https://www.gq.com/story/michael-bennett-opens-up-about-all-of-it

  26. vespernite says:

    Henry Cavill = CANCELLED

  27. Xi Tang says:

    Whatever chlamydia boy.
    DC needs to recast their dumpster fire of a cast asap. They can leave Amy Adams though, she’s perfect.

  28. Da tea says:

    No means no, creep.

  29. perplexed says:

    OMG, that last paragraph. It was like he was thinking out loud and caused a train wreck. He sounds like a teenager speaking there, though I’m not even sure if a 13 year old would say that out loud. So, this is what a male bimbo without a publicist looks like.

  30. Rebecca says:

    I don’t understand this mindset. Many male actors are saying similar things. It’s pretty simple guys. You can flirt when you’re not at work; and, if you don’t understand the difference between sexual harassment and flirting, you probably have a problem.

  31. Sash says:

    He sounds like such a douchebag.

  32. He comes off like an alien from another planet pretending to be human. Something is just… off with him. “the unspoken communication of holding a hand.” Like, the hand doesn’t even need to be attached to a body.

  33. SJhere says:

    I first took notice of Henry when he was in The Tudors. He looked magnificent, had a small to medium sized part, rode horses looking yummy, and generally was out acted by Jonathon Rhys-Meyers throughout the series.
    I get the impression that Henry is not the brightest bulb in the box, Bless him.
    Henry dear, please try to not give interviews, it’s no helping you any.

    Btw, JR-M as Henry in The Tudors was fabulous, worth watching for certain.

  34. SheBug says:

    No one is telling men not to pursue women. They’re saying be respectful of boundaries, and, in particular, get consent before penetrating someone. This isn’t rocket science. This is basic decency. Why is everyone acting baffled by this very basic shit?

  35. D says:

    Cavil, cancelled “apology” and all

  36. L says:

    He sounds like a predator. No wonder he hasn’t settled down.

  37. Meggles says:

    He sounds like an alien mimicking human speech in most of that interview. And he’s evidently massively controlling of his public image and life, to a weird degree. He comes across so strangely in that piece. The comments about MeToo are actually the only parts where he sounds like a human being and not a PR robot.

    • the Spiral says:

      I am almost inclined to believe the gay rumors more now, given that he is doing NOTHING to endear himself to ANY women here.