Much like my newfound love for Chris Pine, Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel promotional tour is winning me over. I’ve always found Henry hot but bland. Vanilla with no swirl, you know? But they’re letting Henry come out of his shell a bit, and what is being revealed is rather lovely. He’s humble, he’s dorky, he’s sweet, he’s super-professional and he’s very well-spoken. And he’s the guy dating Gina Carano, who is pretty much my new Angelina Jolie as far as “I wouldn’t mind a roll in the hay with that lady” girl-crushes. Henry has a new interview with Glamour UK, and it’s interesting. You can read the full piece here, on Henry’s fansite, and here are some highlights:
When he put on the Superman costume: “Laugh?” Henry Cavill is staring at me incredulously. “Of course I didn’t laugh. For a guy, it’s pretty much the most awesome moment you can possibly imagine.”
His private life: “It’s important to keep your private life separate from your professional life when you’re in the public eye, otherwise the two get horribly blended together and it bites you in the ass one day… [Celebrity relationships] take a lot of understanding from the other person, because there’s a lot of time apart, but I’ve always been a monogamous man.”
His taste in ladies: “What’s important to me is that a woman has confidence in what she is, as opposed to trying to conform to someone else’s type.” We establish that he dislikes aggressive women “because they’re always on the defensive” and that romantically, he’s “old-school, but still very much of the times”.
He likes ladies who drink a lot: “l like a good drinking buddy… and I can drink a lot”
He doesn’t want ladies to dress provocatively: “There’s something incredibly sexy about a dress that leaves you guessing.”
He loves women’s bodies: “Well, what’s great is a woman’s shape as a whole. I mean, no artist could imagine a more beautiful shape. It’s incredible. A man can look attractive, beautiful even, but nothing like a woman naked. That’s why women would rather look at other naked women than at men.”
He’s not going to drop trou for the hell of it: “I’m not a big fan of getting naked for the sake of it. I wouldn’t use a body double, because I’m particular about the physicality of acting, but I won’t just get my arse out because people are insisting I do.”
Bulking up/dieting, etc: “The ‘major bulking’ phase came first and that was fun. That meant eating 5,000 calories a day. The best thing about that phase is that you’re really strong and even though you don’t look great, because you’re carrying a lot of extra fat, you’re always in a really good mood. The leaning down phase is the hardest, because although you’re looking great, you’re always in a bad mood because you’re so hungry.” Welcome to the world of the Hollywood starlet. “I know,” he nods grimly. “When I got my first role, in The Count Of Monte Cristo, I was told to lose a stone and a half. It was a lot, but I was a chubby kid, and if you have to play a physically attractive role in Hollywood then maybe you have to pull your socks up. Still, I’m aware that women are sometimes horribly mistreated in terms of weight. They mistreat themselves too, though, because they often think they’re overweight when they’re not. I hate it when women starve themselves…”
On the 50 Shades of Grey rumors: “Put it this way,” he says. “I’ve not read a script, spoken to a producer or a director…” He has, however, read a few opening chapters. “Not exactly chaste writing, is it?” he smirks. “I’ve always preferred the implied sex scene anyway, because having it spelt out always seems a bit tacky. Sex is so readily available to us in every form of media now, so it’s no longer that exciting on screen.”
On being star-struck: “I’ve never really been star-struck by anyone. I’ve always looked at things realistically and thought, ‘Just because you make a lot of money and you’re famous, it doesn’t mean that you deserve to be worshipped.’ Even when I was at school, my heroes were always my brothers and my mum and dad.”
He’s interesting, isn’t he? I tend to believe him when he says he’s monogamous in relationships, and I believe him when he describes what he likes with women. I don’t think a lot of celebrity men would be so honest – Henry wants a lady who dresses conservatively, who isn’t super-skinny, who is comfortable in her own skin, but he prefers demure women to aggressive women. Most men claim that they like aggression in women – but I’ve always thought that most men are lying about that. Eh. I kind of love that he refers to the 50 Shades sex scenes as “tacky”. He’s surprisingly conservative, isn’t he? I’m not talking about his politics, he just seems to be a very “traditional” man.
A new teaser trailer for Man of Steel was released over the weekend. There’s not enough Zod (Zod/Michael Shannon is everything!!), but when Superman screams, I get a little tingly. Oh, and I still say Russell Crowe’s accent is super-wonky.
Photos courtesy of Glamour UK, WENN.
Wow. He just scored a million points from me with that interview. It’s hard to see him wanting to be in “Fifty Shades” after that interview.
Exact opposite for me. Women prefer to see women naked? Erm no. Aggressive women are defensive? Also no. Sure some of each is a yes, but youi cant just broadstroke all women like that. Give me a cumberbatch feminist every day. I have no problem with him preferring a certain type of person (don’t we all), but some of the other things he said just rubbed me the wrong way.
That’s bc several of his comments are deeply rooted in cultural sexism.
What a shame. Such a beautiful man and I’ve liked him for so long. But this interview revealed a side of him I don’t like at all.
Do you know what, I am completely straight (and I’ve been given opportunities to try the other side, it wasn’t for me), and I find the naked female form much more beautiful than the naked male form. I just the curves and softness and shapes are so beautiful.
Except that aggressive men are often rewarded while aggressive women are shouted down.
He doesn’t have to shout it at feminists for it to be something that enforces patriarchy.
He comes off as very conservative to me.
A total turn off.
Is he telling me not to look at hot men (like him) ? Because I always will over “the naked female form”.
WTF?
He looks like Matt Bomer’s evil twin.
I thought his thoughts on women sounded awkward and rehearsed, which doesn’t surprise me at all because he is closeted.
yeah I get that vibe too
also he doesn’t like aggressive women and don’t want them to dress provocatively, guess he never googled his girlfriend. no wonder she’s trying to dress so demure.
I think aggressive men are annoying too. I think the standard is the same across the board but they were asking him specifically about his tastes, it’s not like he’s walking around shouting this at feminists.
Aw crap.
That was actually a decent interview.
He’s still not doing anything for me in the way of biscuit tingles (he may not be completely vanilla anymore, but rum n’ raisin he ain’t) but I do want to pat him on the head and maybe go to a bar with him.
Sums it up nicely for me too.
And I am awesome drinking buddy too, no agression whatsoever. Hm, probably when sober though.
I’m sorry, but he sounds as boring in bed as he is out of it. Plus, the whole ‘wanting a 1950s housewife’ vibe isn’t really working for me.
Mmm. Just because he isn’t attracted to aggressive women with their tits on display doesn’t mean he wants a 1950s housewife. I agree that a bit of mystery is sexy. And saying he likes a drinking buddy – that is a far cry from the neo-conservative “A woman’s place is in the kitchen” sort of thinking. He seems to think a womans place is on a bar stool, next to him, which sounds good to me.
+1 To all of this
No….but several of his comments here are strong links to some really awful cultural sexism and slut shaming.
Who is he, as a man, to place judgements on women like that? Yes, men are free to like what the like…but the way this was phrased…was very poor.
When I cross the comment about not liking it so much when women dress provocatively with the comment about finding no shape more beautiful than a woman’s naked body, I read a little bit of “Mine, mine only, so don’t go showing that off to anybody else.” Add to that the bit about aggressive women being defensive (which I’m not quite sure I understand) and I think that’s where you catch a whiff of some old-school sexism.
I don’t know if he’s really that kind of guy, but like Andrea said, it seems that he’s phrased his thoughts rather poorly.
Yes!
I disagree with a lot of what he says, but it’s probably because i’m aggressive and defensive
lol
lol.
He looks hot with that beard. I always like guys with beard tho.
Do you mean Gina Carano, or a literal beard?
Also, aggressive and defensive mean opposite things, so… sexist and dumb. I guess he just likes them passive. Man of steel, not so much.
Well I wouldn’t call Gina “demure”, but she seems really nice and they look good together.
She’s not “demure” but she does play a game that I don’t really care for which is why I’m not a fan of hers and never have been.
Gina has made some accomplishments as a female fighter which I commend. But she also plays this game where she plays into the fetishization and sexualization of female athletes. She tries very hard (and has for years) to be viewed as this demure, sex kitten and she plays into the objectification of women in the way she behaves and has for YEARS.
It’s part of the reason I don’t like her. Bc while she is a frontrunner for women in fighting she plays the same dumb games that continally keep women in the eyes of the male gaze.
I do not doubt that she has been playing that game, but I also don’t know that I can hold it against her, as that’s still really the only Avenue available to women who want mainstream sports success. It totally sucks, but as sports (especially martial arts) are primarily driven by men and what men want, women are still window dressing. Unlike men who can be ugly as sin, women have to be talented AND attractive AND non-threatning
I find him dull but I find his attitudes to be RAWR.
Heh, and here I’m the exact opposite. I don’t find there’s a single original thought in the whole interview (women have an amazing shape? Oooh, that’s news) but I find him really handsome. There’s something about a dark haired man with light eyes and a great smile…yum.
All the women he cheated on his old fiancée with while he was in Canada filming superman would probably disagree with his monogamy.
He did?! That’s news to me. He doesn’t seem like the lying sort.
Boring or not, he’s stable, handsome and nice. That’s all a girl needs, really.
I keep reading that he had a long term boyfriend called Corey Spears who was quickly shoved into a closet when his career began to show promise. This guy even deleted his facebook pics with Henry but not before datalounge had picked up afew. Corey is openly gay if you are wondering.
I find him very bland. Infact I only googled him because I caught a vibe looking at pics of him and the lady. Same vibe I picked up when I saw Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez “dating”
Yep, Cavill’s gay.
+1. Heard he was bi-sexual and that the former fiancee had been a long term friend. Their engagement was supposedly to shut down the rumors.
I’m sorry, but I can’t stand closeted gays. HC needs to learn something from my beloved Zachary Quinto.
That would be such a pity (for women 😉 ), but I tend to believe it. Something’s fishy about Gina and him, they don’t seem sincere.
After the comments, I looked up Corey Spears and was immediately taken to a site that confirmed (to me, at least) he is either gay or bi. Okay by me, but I don’t understand why an actor would be open about it and then jump back in when an agent or someone tells him he will never “make it” if he is openly gay. Come on guy, at least be honest with yourself.
I don’t know if he’s gay but I do think he’s at least bisexual or has slept with men in his younger years.
I don’t care what his orientation is but it’s clear as day that his PR team has been working overtime in the last few months to try and pass him off as the ultimate straight guy.
I’m not sure what the deal is with Gina. Her PR time has also been working overtime to make her “happen.”
I’m sure Henry and Gina are very good friends. They may even genuinely like each other. But I don’t trust either of them since this desperate PR campaign has started.
Yup. A Showmance if ever I saw one.
And I’m probably going to get flak for saying this, but I don’t think Gina is attractive at all. Now, I’m all for actresses who don’t fit into the skinny simpering stereotype, but Gina just looks rough. Not sexy at all imho.
I kind of get the gay vibe from him, but as a gay man myself, I really don’t care. Yes he’s very good looking, but he’s also boring as hell. I suspect the sex would be equally uninspiring. Gina can keep him.
@Christina… I guess you’d have to see her fight (or at least in fighting form) to understand the appeal. I was a big fan of hers when she was coming up as a fighter. But then the powers that be saw that she was very marketable and they started turning her into… this.
You mentioned actresses and I think that’s where the problem lies. She’s not an actress, she’s an athlete. I know there’s a niche for athlete-turned-action-heroes (the fake wrestlers are actors to begin with), but Gina’s missing some key components as a “star.”
Personally, I’d rather she go back to fighting because there, she can be herself and she’ll be celebrated for it, but I guess she wants the fame that badly.
I found it odd that he dated Ellen “fiancee” for 3 years and no photos. I get it he’s a private person. Since Jan2013, he’s been every where with his new “girlfriend”. Guess the rumors were getting louder and louder
Um… he is gay. He didn’t cheat on any women with women.
Really? You find this “I want a conservative demure woman” crap ATTRACTIVE? ick.
Wanting a “demure” woman is Kaiser’s interpretation of his comment about aggressive women, not necessarily his.
I took it to mean that he prefers his women a little more relaxed. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I find his honesty refreshing.
Yeah…but…here’s the problem. Some of the things he said have some pretty bad gender commentary whether he meant them that way or not.
Strong willed women already face enough discrimination in this world and are constantly called “defensive” as an insult whenever they speak out. When a guy like this goes in a magazine and enforces the idea that strong women are “defensive” it gives other men more ammo to treat strong women like they need to lighten up. IT’s not a good thing.
And the whole “women like to look at naked women” thing is flat out rooted in misogyny. It’s linked to the idea that exploitation of women is “natural” bc women are designed more to be admired and looked at than men are.
I like Cavill. But these comments are…not attractive.
@ Andrea: That “women like to look at naked women” comment REALLY irked me. The whole thing, from the “I don’t like aggressive women” thing to the women only like other women comment just oozed male privilege and classified women as chaste, demure and entirely defined by the male sexual gaze. Presumably, looking at other women (while one’s boyfriend looks on, approvingly) is acceptable as sexuality, but “aggression” (which as a woman, I categorize as asking for what one wants) is ugly.
As I’m writing that, I’m also taking umbrage at the implication that a woman’s right to act “like a man” is defined in terms of attractiveness to this man. The more I think about these comments, the more irritated I am.
@ T-Fanty,
I agree completely. It’s such a letdown to me because I like Henry as an actor but these comments are dripping with male privilege. I’m stunned that people don’t seem to see this.
His comments are the kind of thing that keep women in their place, enforce that the female body belongs in the male gaze and enforces the idea that women who are aggressive are less attractive to men.
I’m actually angry right now that he’s playing Superman who is, to me, one of the few male characters in what is a very, very male-driven comics genre that breaks free from this male gaze attitude.
I like Superman, in part, because his mythos is NOT male gaze. Yes, it’s about a man but the man in question is a gentle creature and, more importantly, so much of the mythos revolves around Lois Lane and Clark’s love for Lois Lane and the way he is attracted to her assertive/strong/aggressive nature.
His comments here are terribly unattractive. You’ve also nailed, btw, why I’m always so bothered by Gina Carno’s brand of “girl power” bc so much of her career from her fighting days onward has been predicated on kicking butt but trying to do it in a way that plays up what is attractive to a man.
But that’s the current state of feminism. We’re paraded a string of women who tell us they’re empowered because they are complicit with the advancement of a male-oriented sexuality (looking at you, Rhianna). I’m sick of women playing the “I’m bisexual” card when they’re clearly not, and thinking that by willingly enacting male objectification, they’re controlling it. Cavil’s views are positively archaic.
Dammit. I’m going to have to become a Cumberperson.
@Andrea & @T-Fanty
You ladies need to keep preaching that truth. I’m loving your thoughtful and articulate comments here. That’s all.
Awww, thanks.
*bows head coquettishly and twirls hair – oh wait…*
Nicely put. Also, Cumberpeople is the new Hey girl.
He does sound interesting…. a bit conservative. I wouldn’t jump to his preference being a ‘demure’ woman. Just because he doesn’t like aggressive women. Maybe just easier going. It does raise an eyebrow when he’s dating Carano though.
Hope his movie does well.
I find it rather funny re his demure act now, when, let’s face it, what got him really noticed in the first place was him being naked a pretty good bit in ” The Tudors”- but , I guess that drove the “plot”, so that was OK- LOL!
I agree the comments may be what he really feels, but it comes across as checking off the correct Superman responses.
Vanilla it is
Except that these are NOT the Superman responses.
Superman is one of the most feminist men in comics.
Superman’s soulmate is Lois Lane who is one of the most strong-willed, assertive women in the genre. She’s a character who has no choice but to be assertive because she’s a woman in a man’s job and is fighting back against alot of misogyny in her job.
So no…these are not the Superman answers. Clark Kent, as a character, prefers aggressive women.
Will defer to you re the inherent characteristics of Supe and LL as portrayed in the comics. I was referring to having a vanilla as possible responses in the interview. Note that Henry didn’t bring up Superman as a feminist, nor Lois’ battles against misogyny. That’s marketing the movie.
Are we getting ‘aggressive’ and ‘assertive’ mixed up here ladies? Just checking…
Don’t be surprised. Henry come from an upper class british family living in a tax free island : Jersey. So he is much more conservative than he is showing. I mean look at who was his ex and her family. I won’t be surprised if he ended up with a demure and conservative wife who will bear his children and stay behind. Now he need Gina to enter the US market.
No, Gina needs him to get the Wonder Woman role.
Oh my gosh, I would LOVE to see her as Wonder Woman!!!!
Both Henry and Gina have PR teams working overtime right now. Gina’s team is trying to make her “happen’ even though she has no real acting talent. Yes, Gina wants to be Wonder Woman. Which would be horrible.
Henry’s team is doing everything possible to present him as a “cool” straight guy.
Gina Carano would be a terrible Wonder Woman. She’s a wonderful fighter but a terrible actress. I’d like an actress for Wonder Woman who has some real experience and can actually portray the character, please. No.
Oh lord, is that the angle for all of this? The superhero couple? Sorry, Gina, you’re not Wonder Woman. Diana could never be convincingly played by someone with this much TRY.
Not to mention….Superman and Wonder Woman are the worst couple in comics. They are utterly boring and predictable together with no personality spark bc they are too much alike. They are the try-hard couple.
Clark will always belong with Lois Lane in all her utterly flawed humanity. The beauty of the story is that he loves a human woman who is strong in her job—not a goddess.
Wonder Woman, depending on who you ask, is queer. Trying to pair her with Superman just ruins the point of both mythos. No matter how many times comics break up Lois and Clark they will always return to each other.
I love Wonder Woman as a character on her own but I’ll always be Team Lois and Clark.
What a great interview. I love his humble, dorky self. His comments on celebrity worship are spot on.
I guess that explains Gina’s style choices…but yeah, he does seem to have a stick up his butt, doesn’t he? Although some women like being controlled like that, for what I’ve seen. Sadly.
I think equating dressing conservatively, or even not being aggressive/defensive, with being controlled is a big leap. I personally find aggressive/defensive people a HUGE turn-off and I am certainly not controlling. I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting a GF who’s goods aren’t always on display.
well the goods were on display a year ago
How is she being controlled? I don’t understand why so many people are jumping to the conclusion that he wants some Stepford wife when all he said was that he likes a woman who doesn’t wear skimpy clothes and who isn’t aggressive. He said he likes a woman who can drink, for Pete’s sake.
Gosh, the comments people are making make it seem as if he went on a “Women in the good old says did such and such, so women should be like that now” tirade, but he didn’t.
Haha, I was wondering why she’s been snugly wrapped up since they got together. It’s not like she’s the shy type to cover up, especially when she’s looking quite obviously uncomfortable.
Remember how badly the last Superman movie tanked? No-one involved expected that.
Agree with others…all of Henry’s answers are crafted towards the appropriate Man of Steel PR image.
I like him.
This guy sounds horrifically boring. Maybe because I’m aggressive or whatever. Marvel’s better anyway! (though love me some Batman). Next Superman movie tank in 3…2..
Someone said he looks like John Mayer and now I can’t unsee it. So no, I still don’t want to do him and he seems like a gold digger since he likes the ladies that come from money.
Well, he comes from money himself and has a successful career, so I highly doubt that he targets wealthy girls, but rather they are the kind of girls already in his circle.
Perhaps. But if he was a woman, we would be calling her a gold digger. We will agree to disagree.
I think we will have to, as I certainly wouldn’t call a woman in his position a gold digger.
The term “gold digger” is misapplied to this situation.
Well and Gina Carano comes from money too. Alot of money.
Her father was an NFL quarterback and her family owns casinos in Reno and properties in Vegas. She came from tons of of privilege.
Funny how Gwenyth Paltrow and several others get knocked on a regualar basis for growing up with so much privilege and yet there is a different standard for others…
Paltrow has created a public platform on which she proselytizes to the masses based on her rarified position of privilege. Carano does mot. Therein is the difference.
Nothing about him reminds me of Mayer. He actually kind of reminds me of Matt Bomer.
I always get him mixed up with Matt Bomer. Both are so hot.
Matt Bomer is WAY hotter!
@Tiffany27, I can’t ever recall people calling an independently wealthy woman who only dates wealthy guys a gold digger. I think that title comes when you date people for their money because you have none of your own.
I think you can still be a gold digger and have your own money. Jmo though.
I always confuse him with Matt Bomer too.
Judging by this interview, he and I definitely wouldn’t get along. That’s fine though–I bet Tom Hardy would appreciate my feistiness.
TOK- I agree.
I wouldn’t get along with him either. He reminds me of this guy in high school who insisted all women were sexually attracted to the Arnold Schwarzanegger bodybuilder type. Mansplaining to girls what they liked sexually was obnoxious at 17. At Cavill’s age, it’s pathetic. Dude’s dumb.
He is right about sex scenes. There’s nothing shocking anymore, so most nude sex scenes fall flat on the big screen. Although, there are some that were great. I will always find the scene of Tom Cruise dropping Renee Zellweiger off at the front door a very erotic love scene more than most full-on sex scenes. The same with Demi and Patrick Swayze at the pottery wheel.
I love sex scenes. At least if the movie sucks I don’t feel cheated because I still got to see someone naked.
You just made me LOL! Must be the sunny Monday- just wrote that twice!
I like both kinds of sex scenes- “Atonement” and “Body Heat”- so different and yet both so amazing!
I think its taken out of context a little bit. I think he was referring to stereotypical hollywood women with the moutains of fake hair, fake boobs, weight obsession, aggressive attitudes. I think the entire thing was just making a comment on the state of things rather than his preferences. Any preference he made seemed to be made by comparison rather than anything specific. And I think his main point was that he prefers reality.
Except it’s not HIS place as a MAN (especially a rich white man) to make some kind of grand statement on women like this.
This is a terrible interview.
+1
I was his demographic. I’m a geek, I love guys with dark hair and light eyes, I greatly enjoy looking at hot dudes, I love Lois Lane and like Superman. I was so ready to like him. Now I won’t even rent his movie. I do not want Superman associated with this, thanks. Very, very bad move on his part.
Well I’m a woman and I’ll respond to that. I agree with him. Many women nowadays apparently have been pornized by our media and feel the need to aggressively showcase their bodies and shove it down everyone’s throats. They don’t care who they bother as long as they get attention, then they bitch about the kind of attention they get. I for one applaud him for not liking it.
Dressing up like that then bitching about the male gaze that they are so obviously courting to validate their fragile self worth and ego is plain immaturity, not to mention hypocritical.
And this opinion is coming from an ex stripper, not a prude, and I am not religious either – I just wised up to why I was doing it and stopped.
I still think he is vanilla and lacks of personality.
It’s not that he sounds bad or anything, but i don’t see the spontaneity, the charm, the charisma, the real personality…
it’s like he is too neat, too professionally conditioned to be clean and neat and only repeat his script in that regard.
This was a great interview. He comes across as intelligent and seriously down to earth. I think ill pay more attention to him from now on! He seems so interesting.
He’s pretty. He looks really good with facial hair though. I especially liked the look of season 3-4 of Charles Brandon.
I like him even more after this. Kinda of the Boy Next Door-type. Maybe he’s “vanilla” but that’s perfectly fine by me in a Hollywood full of narcissistic DiCaprios and Afflecks.
Here’s hoping it’s not a Reese Witherspoon act!
On another note, I find it strange how people need to ask celebrities about their preferences for the gender they’re attracted to.
Only when they are closeted. Their PR encourages these questions so that articles like this happen.
How many times has Jake Gyllenhaal been quoted as saying some variation of “the most important thing a man can do is find the right woman.” Answer: many, many times.
Deeply closeted men often go on the record with quotes that “prove” they are straight. For my PR-savvy ears this is actually a dead giveaway, but for the masses… they eat it up.
I wonder how I can love his interview answers, marvel at how good-looking he is and still have absolutely zero attraction to this dude. Meh. Whatever, I wish him well and hope the movie’s good.
Because he has zero charisma.
Me too!
He is handsome but can act at all. I think he is probably quite well educated being a posh englishman in that he knows how to say the right politically correct things but that doesnt make him interesting to me.
Agreed.
This interview looks like it was scripted by his agent.
And no, he cannot act. At all.
”That’s why women would rather look at other naked women than at men.”
Says the man whose naked body had a generation of women hooked on The Tudors from the very first episode!
Sorry, but his interview is as bland as he is. As I’ve said before, he’s a beautiful man, but outside The Tudors, he has no sex appeal. Much too Ken doll-ish.
“A man can look attractive, beautiful even, but nothing like a woman naked. That’s why women would rather look at other naked women than at men.”
Uhm… I beg to differ. I am extremely straight and while I may find a naked woman beautiful, it does absolutely nothing for me. Now, looking at male nudity, on the other hand…
I know! I HATE it when men tell women what they do and do not find attractive – we’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much!
Perhaps Henry would like to ask himself why, if women don’t enjoy the naked male form, his directors on ‘The Tudors’ kept asking him to get naked? Was it because the storyline demanded it? I think NOT!
Can’t help thinking that he may be ‘protesting too much’ as a way to deflect the persistent gay rumours about him.
Yeah. I liked him okay before this. Now I don’t, at all. I’m hoping everything was taken completely out of context.
Looking at a naked woman makes me feel like I’m in a locker room, and I’m sick of various rich white men telling me what my sexuality and preferences are. I enjoy looking at hot naked men. Not women. Nor do I like kissing girls, thank you very much, nor is my sexuality more fluid because I’m a woman.
Sauvage,
Go back and re-read your comment. You have just validated his point.
No, I did not. Cavill says that I would rather look at female nudity than male nudity. And I strongly object that.
Fair enough. Mistake. But he obviously wasn’t far off the mark.
The only thing I think about when I see him is that I wish it was Matt Bomer. They have a similar look but I find HC completely lacking in charm. Bomer 4 Superman 4EVA!
All those years ago, when Stephenie Meyer wrote Twighlight, Henry Cavill is the actor she pictured playing Edward. But by the time the movie got made, he was too old.
bloody hell… he’s like… the female Natalie Portman i.e. utterly beautiful and yet noooo sex appeal whatsoever! How can that be? How???
LOL! I was going to make the EXACT same comparison! Male Natalie Portman is right. And neither of them can act, or show evidence of actually having a personality.
Oh yes I forgot about the “acting” part.. he is awful, he was alright in The Tudors but apart from that, nothing else. Immortals was awful as hell! *shivers*
He better be good in portraying my favorite Superhero, otherwise I’mma slap the unfortunate bitch sitting next to me in the theatre!…
… anyway in Michael Shannon I trust …
This! Although his attractiveness does take a leap when he’s sporting a beard.
I think he IS sporting a beard in that picture…… in a manner of speaking!
They both come from money and they are both dumb as a box of rocks. They have that look like if you shook them, their heads would rattle.
The 50 Shades scenes are worse than tacky, as they are disturbing and abusive and completely not what BDSM is about. They’re written by a woman who obviously has no experience in what she’s shilling, which is kind of sad.
As for what Cavill actually said about women — I don’t see a quote of his about “aggressive women”, that’s the interviewer.
Here’s the shocking truth about straight men: they are human beings, and as such, they have different tastes in everything, including women. Shocking, isn’t it?
I agree with you that men have different tastes and opinions, but doesn’t that also apply to the person that wrote 50 Shades? Was she really trying to represent BDSM culture? Since this series came about as fan fiction, I would have thought it would only be a representation of her own fantasies and not necessarily what BDSM is all about.
I haven’t read any of the books, so I could be completely wrong here; just asking out of curiosity.
I don’t know what she was trying to represent, but she did that thing where the heroine is raped and the writer pretends it wasn’t rape, and I’m sickened by that.
Whether she was trying to represent BDSM culture or not, her book has already been used by abusers pretending to be doms looking for victims. Which is not directly her fault, but otoh she wrote something perfect for that purpose. The book is pure rape culture. So are a lot of romance novels, but my problem is that the book’s cried up as some kind of breakthrough when it’s merely the same old thing. I also don’t like seeing my sexuality so horribly misrepresented — which, again, true of a lot of romance novels and basically all of Hollywood for pretty much everyone, but this one hits a lot closer to home.
I dunno, I go back and forth on this. I just feel the need to bring stuff up whenever I see 50 Shades mentioned, because it is so so so problematic in ways that people often don’t see. Or they do see, and they think that’s just the way BDSM is, especially with a dominant man and submissive woman, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
@Emily – Interesting. I’m still probably not going to read the books, but thanks for answering and for the additional context.
Emily, you are dead on with your comments about the rape culture in 50 Shades.
I couldn’t disagree more, there are number of passages in the book dedicated to explicitly spelling out that if she says “no” -its no.
Number of times she says no, and -its no, end of it. I have never believed that it glorifies rape or even submission, cause at the end of the book they do away with the whole submission thing anyway.
(I didn’t mean to insult you opinion, just stating my own.)
“I’m not a big fan of getting naked for the sake of it. I wouldn’t use a body double, because I’m particular about the physicality of acting, but I won’t just get my arse out because people are insisting I do.”
–> This is beyond!
“That’s why women would rather look at other naked women than at men.”
What?! What women you know would prefer that? –> This is beyond!
“There’s something incredibly sexy about a dress that leaves you guessing.”
–> Tell this to your “girlfriend”. She doesn’t know how to dress up for her body type.
“l like a good drinking buddy… and I can drink a lot” + he dislikes aggressive women “because they’re always on the defensive”
–>I still like you my vanilla Brit.So, I am filtering my thoughts now and taking the high road.
I’m not even filtering. I don’t like him as much anymore after this interview.
And I’m beyond sick of the over the top push of the thing with Gina.
If you need to become a star by pimping out your relationship and pushing it constantly in PR then maybe you shouldn’t be a star.
I’ve been a huge fan of Henry for a long time and I’m a huge Superman fan.
This interview is just…really unfortunate.
My opinion of Cavill has been dropping steadily since he started his over the top PR campaign with Carano a few months ago. But this interview? This is gross. There is so much underlying sexism and patriarchy in this interview that I’m honestly not even sure I want to be his fan anymore.
Yuck.
I’m still looking forward to Man of Steel due to Amy Adams but…this interview did not paint him in a good light. And the thing with Gina is still incredibly forced.
I totally agree with you. For a private person why is all the media hype “boyfriend” instead of “actor”
I’m checking out the body language. They’re not a couple. This is a PR, but to hide what exactly?
I just try to remember how gorgeous he was in the Tudors (and still is) and try to ignore his interviews. I only have a few celebrity crushes left damnit!
I feel your pain girl. I hate when my crushes open their mouths and say some dumba**ness in an interview.
I agree – just STFU, look pretty and don’t ruin the mystery if you can’t give a good interview.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I took the aggressive comment to be regarding probably all the aggressive women just throwing themselves at him, going after him, pursuing him, because he’s famous, and that it’s a turn off to him. I think when you become famous and just having lots of women throwing themselves at you because you’re famous, while an ego boost at first, gets old. He equates aggressive with that. One singer’s wife once said women would try to pass her husband thier phone number right in front of her. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s how I interpreted it.
^^This.
I totally agree. I don’t think he meant that he likes his women to blindly do whatever he tells them. I also don’t understand why everyone is pi$$y about the comment that he likes demure women. There are a lot of wonderful women who are quite and demure and sexual all at once.
I don’t know a lot about the woman he is with, but apparently she was a fighter. It is possible for a fighter, of either sex, to have a completely different public persona than their actual. The woman in any of the MMA are serialized. The main (note I say main) audience is men. Guys are not going to watch them fight if they don’t think they’re hot. Such is life.
I don’t think that there is any sexism intended in this. I think that he is just saying that he likes a quite, well dress woman who knows who she is and can hold her liquor. Something tells me that there are enough of them out there that if he becomes single, he’ll have no trouble finding one.
I’m sure there wasn’t sexism intended. But frankly most of the underlying sexism in our culture is unintended. That doesn’t mean it’s not damaging.
His comments reinforce the idea of the male gaze. I think the annoyance with him is justified.
Ok, I’ll say it: If I really liked Henry before-his sweet, tortured character in The Tudors was the best thing about that show for me aside from the costumes-then I f**king LOVE him now! :))
The comment about aggressive women is odd considering he’s (supposedly) with Gina, who could kick his ass ten ways from Sunday.
After reading—and re-reading—Cavill’s statement, I think people are taking his comment regarding how women would rather look at naked women than at men out of context.
I don’t get the sense at all he means it in a sexual way. If you read his entire comment, he states, “…no artist could imagine a more beautiful shape,” in reference to the female form. Throughout history, great artists have celebrated the female form in all shapes and sizes. The male form definitely hasn’t received the same attention when you take out sexualized mediums like porn, etc.
As a straight female, I completely agree with him. I have no desire to just look at man with his junk flopping in the wind for the heck of it. Or stare at a painting of it. Or celebrate it. Unless it’s in the bedroom.
Completely agree with you here 100%
And do you why artists have “celebrated” the female body for centuries? Because men have ruled the conversation for centuries and kept pushing this idea that the female body is to be consumed and admired and enjoyed for male pleasure. That’s where all of this stems from. None of this exists in a vacaumn.
Yes, the female body is beautiful. That’s not the issue. The issue is that the idea that a woman is more suited for admiration is deeply linked to cultural patriarchy.
Furthermore, the concept of being “aggressive” has a gender component as boys are still rewarded for being this way while women—who often have no choice of they are to be heard—are called “bi***”.
I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. But the criticism of his words here is valid and important.
@ lou, you obviously missed all the great art works of Ancient Greece and Rome where the male nude body was celebrated, and even worshipped for its beauty. And lets not forget Michelangelo’s and Da Vinci’s art works where the male body was depicted as nude and beautiful. I don’t buy into that female body is a form of art, because that wasn’t always the case in history.
He doesn’t like aggressive women
– but he’s dating a UFC fighter?
He doesn’t like to drop his trousers for the sake of it
– but he was almost always half naked on the Tudors.
The interview does state that the interviewer was grilling him pretty harshly about things such as women & sex and I have a feeling he might have pushed back against that with all those conservative answers. He seems to change his mind rather often.
And I don’t think he was calling the entire50 shades trilogy tacky, I think he just meant that when we spell things out word for word it can sometimes be a little bit tacky. Sure 50 shades has its.. uh ..moments, but that didn’t kill it for me. I still hope he stops being so vanilla and maybe plays Mr Grey anyway. The movie has a Oscar nominated screen writer so who cares how the book is written.
I think a lot of people here need to know the different between “strong” women and “aggressive” women. He said his mother is strong and lists her as one of his heroes. Look up the word aggressive in the dictionary, its not a very nice thing to be and in all fairness Henry is within his rights to find aggressive women unattractive, just like I find both aggressive men and women unattractive. He was also pushed to answer his fave bod part of a woman and kudos to him for not singling out one part of a woman but admiring the female form as a whole. Read his quote, it doesnt mention sex, but rather art. People really need to stop reading his answers in an inaccurate way. Oh and I really dont think he is gay either. Having a gay friend does not mean we are gay by proxy. This is the 21st century, although you wouldnt think so with people still living in the dark ages.
Well put! I don’t understand all the animosity towards this guy. If you read the entire interview he sounds like a genuinely nice guy, proper and respectful of women. He likes confident, but not aggressive women. What’s wrong with that? I don’t get the whole ‘he’s bland or boring’ argument either. In that magazine shot where he has the beard, he’s hot as hell!
Except that many times women have no choice but to be aggressive if they are to be heard in male spaces.
Men are praised for this. Women are shut down.
Women who push are then pushed back and silenced bc men (ESP rich, white men of privilege) imply that it’s unattractive. It’s a vicious cycle of sexism that he now contributed to whether he meant to or not.
Except that is NOT what he said. You read one word you didn’t like from his interview, and are making it into a much bigger deal than it is. You probably are one of those annoying types who goes off a rant if god forbid someone says something you perceive to be offensive. Agressive women are annoying as hell. Can we please not give them a pass and call them strong? Strong women are the ones who can persuade others with the force of the argument, not the pitch of their voice. Henry said he doesn’t like agressive women but he likes them strong and confident. Plese read again and stop turning this thread into a whole feminist manifesto. For what is worth, I have never been turned on by a woman and find the female body to be much more beautiful than the male body. Go ahead, call it internalized sexism or something equally bullshit.
Except that is NOT what he said. You read one word you didn’t like from his interview, and are making it into a much bigger deal than it is. You probably are one of those annoying types who goes off a rant if god forbid someone says something you perceive to be offensive. Agressive women are annoying as hell. Can we please not give them a pass and call them strong? Strong women are the ones who can persuade others with the force of the argument, not the pitch of their voice. Henry said he doesn’t like agressive women but he likes them strong and confident. Plese read again and stop turning this thread into a whole feminist manifesto. For what is worth, I have never been turned on by a woman and find the female body to be much more beautiful than the male body. Go ahead, call it internalized sexism or something equally bullshit.
I’m not really sure why it’s so problematic to you that others find this interview offensive.
No one is saying that the female body isn’t beautiful. It’s great that you can speak for yourself here.
Henry didn’t actually do that. He tried to speak for women. That bothered some people.
Look, I can totally respect that you have a different viewpoint and that you are sharing your perspective. It’s un-necessary and rude for you to imply that others who were bothered by it are “ranting” when we are simply sharing how it made US feel.
+ 10,000 JammySod and Meandhim!
S-WOOOON.
I’de lick that man like an ice cream cone, but wait… is that too aggressive? 😉
I think I would fall asleep from boredom if he were anywhere near me.
Well apparently for a hot man he must like his ladies plain and kind of fat because that woman he’s with is uggo.
That B&W pic of him with the beard – yum.
He doesn’t wear suits particularly well though IMO. Probably due to his size I suppose.
He looks so much hotter scruffy…
A great interview overall. I don’t see those that are getting offended. He is just being honest about HIS preferences. How is that wrong? I like aggressive men, I don’t like shy guys. My friend loves shy guys. That’s what great about this world.
I still find him a bit bland but he was very hot in Tudors. I wish he’d grow a little scruff and keep it.
Because he’s talking about preferences that uphold cultural sexism and patriarchy.
And he didn’t just speak for himself. He spoke for women which was an uncool thing to do.
I know he’s hot but being hot doesn’t give him license to speak for women. This is classic male privilege behavior. I’m sad to see women brush it off.
Andrea, you are obviously invested in having people agree with your point of view that his comments are sexist and patriarchal. However, please try to see why many do not agree with you. He says he does not like aggressive women. That does’t mean he is sexist. I don’t like aggressive men because I find they usually have low self esteem that they try to hide with that aggressiveness and to me, low self esteem is not attractive. Perhaps in his experience he has found aggressive women also seem to be defensive (as in they don’t react graciously then he is not interested?). Also, perhaps the women he has known in his lifetime DO prefer the female form to the male one, how do you know that is not what the women in his life have communicated to him? The bottom line is people have the right to their own taste.
One thing that does always bother me is that old line that women are derided for being strong while men are applauded for the same. As a strong woman, I can tell you who respects me, who resents me, and who appreciates me, and gender is not the main concern of most of these people. Maybe it’s a generational thing.
@Jessie, I’m not interested in anything other than sharing my thoughts. Others are certainly free to disagree.
I think the context of the aggressive comment is unclear which is why people are debating it. We don’t know what he meant. You have chosen to interpret it one way and I understand that. That is not how I viewed it.
It’s very possible that women have communicated to him that they like to look at other naked women. But it was still wrong of him to try and speak on behalf of the female gaze with his answer. He can’t speak for women as a whole.
Look, I understand that Henry has very passionate fans who like to defend him. I’m a fan of his too. But I found this interview off-putting and it made me look at him differently.
I certainly will continue to give him a chance going forward to prove me wrong.
Andrea, if you do a search for your name, you’ll see why people are defending their own POV’s — you’re all over this one, as is your right, but there’s a heavy suggestion in your comments that those who do not object to ‘aggressive’ have inculcated sexist principle to an unconscious degree where they need someone else to point that out. I’m a feminist and I disagree entirely, along with the 50 Shades comment – I hated the books for being sloppily written and plotted, but wholeheartedly disagree with your notes re ‘rape culture’ in the book 100%.
Kind of interesting about Henry Cavill. Luke Evans is that Welsh actor who is about to be in about several new movies, including The Crow. Several years ago, he gave a quote about how everyone knew him as a gay man in London. Then he walked his way back into the close and said something about being “misquoted” and now he has a “girlfriend.” I love me some Tom Hardy, and several years ago he also gave a quote about having some sort of experience with men. Basically, he admitted to being bisexual. He also backtracked. Henry never said anything in an interview, but there were some super couple-esque looking photos with that one openly gay guy that were scrubbed from the internet. He could just have a lot of gay friends like Chris Evans and Daniel Radcliffe, but they way he posed with that guy was very touchy-feely.
Andrea, I took it to mean he didn’t like women who threw themselves at him. do you like unsolicited attention from men? when it comes to a person’s personal preference in terms of attractiveness, nobody can legislate what traits an entire gender need to find attractive in order to not offend you. I don’t like men relentlessly hitting on me, grabbing me, and clearly trying to get me into bed. Henry is entitled to the same. I agree that women need to be aggressive to get their voices heard by men, but how that equates to this is beyond me.
Maybe because his answer was unclear – we never knew who he was talking about except for the fact that he said aggressive women are defensive. WTH does that mean? I still don’t understand the context of that question. They don’t make it clear.
Plus his comment on the female gaze was more than enough for me – speak for yourself Mr. Cavill but I like to look at naked men, thanks! They’re beautiful as well.
Completely agree with this. I interpreted the meaning of “aggressiveness” to be like Lohan obsessively following that kid in the boy band. Or how women throw themselves at celebrities just to end up on their f* list and nothing more.
I was reading some of the comments on here about Henry being gay, so I decided to Google it and see what came up. First place it took me to was Datalounge and let me tell you, that place is CRAZY! They all believe Henry is gay and if you try and argue otherwise look out! You’re in for it. The next place was ontd and they are equally intense over there. They believe he’s straight and will argue with anyone who insists otherwise. One womam claimed her girlfriend slept with Henry multiple times while he was shooting MoS in Vancouver. It must be weird having people who don’t know you talk about you like they do. I get why some celebrities become reclusive.
Hmmm if that’s true that doesn’t make him very monogamous does it? Cause I think he was still with his fiance at the time.
Some people believe his relationship with his fiance was over long before it was officially announced,so who knows. If he says he’s monogamous then all anyone can do is take his word for it.
he is hot. she needs a better stylist.
Henry loosen with ingesting substances that can do irreversible damage to brain
Can not believe what moron who is this guy
“But he prefers demure women to aggressive women” JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA this is very strong crying with laugther
People get in an uproar over some pics of him with Corey Spears. But during the time that he and Corey were friends, Corey had a serious boyfriend. There are pics of Henry with each of them. I think they were just having fun and mugging for the camera. HC might be gay or bi, but I don’t think he was ever intimate like that with Corey.
Corey himself has said that HC is not gay, but very supportive of the gay community. Corey is a gay rights activist so I really don’t see him as being part of a closet case cover up. Corey and HC are still friends as there is video of Corey at the Immortals premiere and they hugged like old friends.
As far as this interview, some are reading wayyyy too much into it. Henry was pushed by the interviewer to comment about his favorite female body part and to describe what he likes in women. He didn’t objectify women, by naming “tits and/ or Ass” Instead he tastefully describe the beauty of the female form. He also said he didn’t like agressive women, or at least that is what the interviewer implied. But as some have said, to be aggressive as either a man or woman, is not really a nice attribute. I definitely got the feeling that he likes and values strong, confident women.
As far as the dress style of women, well, I have to agree on this one. Modern women have fallen victim to brainwashing that tight, revealing clothing is somehow empowering. When all it does is constantly keep women sexualized rather than humanized. Styles today celebrate tortuous shoes, extremely tight and low cut styles. The skirts are so short that women have to contort themselves when sitting down or getting out of a car so as not to have a wardrobe malfunction. Women have been socialized to believe that dressing like that is good. Sadly, the message is that your sexuality as woman, is only validated when you dress in a way that men find sexy.
As for women finding the female form pleasant to look at, well again, I don’t see the problem here. He was again saying how beautiful the form was and expressing his belief that women even enjoy the female form. He wasn’t implying that women don’t enjoy a man’s body, or that all women are turned on by a woman’s body, he was talking about it as a loftier appreciation for form, not sex.
Some of you want to take some very big leaps in logic with your comments and quite frankly, you are wrong.
Now, if you just don’t like the guy, that is your choice, but your leaps to him being a patriarchal neanderthal with hopeless sexist and outdated attitudes about women, would be laughed out of any true debate.
And yes, I kind of find him dull; mostly because I feel like he is holding himself in, afraid to be spontaneous. He must have known someone who was on a great career path, who had it all end because he put his foot in his mouth. And I think Henry is trying very hard to not have that happen to him. But he ends up looking rehearsed and awkward. There is an old interview with him on youtube when he was about 19 or so old and he is so relaxed and silly. Body language is relaxed, his speech pattern is less posh, and he comes across as kind of a dork, but sweet and goofy.
That guy is gone. He has been reprogrammed by someone to be this kind of stiff, formal rehearsed guy.
This will be his undoing. I think the public would rather have someone who sometimes acts the fool, than someone who tries to be perfect all the time.
Sure that when he comes to the drink sample his true personality the rest is a facade and circuses
This is a complete turn-off for me (although, pretty as he is, he hadn’t done much for me already … too stiff and not in a good way). He’s entitled to his opinion, but we’re entitled to ours for disagreeing – “aggressive” and “defensive” are loaded terms, too often applied to women for just not being quiet and passive. The clue’s in the contradiction – if a woman is “aggressive”, it must be in order to “defend” herself against some perceived criticism or slight, in his view – already reacting, rather than maybe just being forward for the sake of it and why not?
As for the thing about women preferring to look at women … give me a break. We’re beyond that “male gaze” bullshit by now, aren’t we? For one thing, it’s not historically definitive, as others upthread have pointed out – the Greeks being the classic example. Secondly, it seems pointless to even compare men and women, or rank them – both are beautiful in their different ways, with the whole spectrum of androgyny in between. What is even the point of trying to rank one above the other? Thirdly … speak for yourself, Cavill, but not for me – I like to look at naked men, just as much as naked women and indeed more, because I am *personally* generally sexually attracted to men. For someone who’s made their career to a great extent through being attractive, Cavill’s in deep denial about the female gaze.
Finally, re: supposedly reading too much into it … this is literally what the entire point of the discussion is, to analyse what he’s said, just like countless other celebrities and interviews. This is no different than any other comment thread on this website in that he’s said something, made his opinion known on an issue, and people are now making their opinions known on his. Honestly, I’m much more comfortable discussing someone’s attitude to a general and universal issue like sexuality/sexism, than I am speculating on their actual private life – and he’s the one who first weighed in on the debate, he and his fans should get used to the idea that someone’s gonna disagree with them =)
I am sickened at the comments here. Leave the guy alone. I would so love to know what responses the above would give if you were all in his position. Get over yourselves. No one here knows Henry as a person. He is a young lad who has ambition for himself. I say good for him and he hasn’t said anything controversial but in fact has been a gentlemen.