Featured Image Credit: Todd Williamson/Getty Images for CinemaCon/Warner Bros.
Topics: Batman, Superman, Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck
Anish Vij
Topics: Batman, Superman, Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck
Henry Cavill said he was ‘intimidated’ by how jacked Ben Affleck was on the set of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Well, it's safe to say that the two superheroes looked hench AF in the 2016 DC Comics film which saw crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne (Affleck) thinking that Superman (Cavill) is a threat to society amid his battle with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).
“I knew that a big part of the audience’s expectation around the role would be how I looked physically,” Affleck told Men’s Journal.
“And that was something I had some control over. If I was going to fail in this role, I wasn’t going to let it be in a way that could have been prevented if I had worked harder.
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“Getting ready for this role meant working hard, day in and day out with Walter. But it was the kind of work where I felt gains in not only my size, but also my mental and physical health.”
When it was time for the Superman actor to jump on set, he noticed how physically huge Affleck had become and knew he had to up his game.
"Like most things in life, you put yourself at a certain level, and I thought I was in good shape going into that film," Cavill said in 2020, according to CBM.
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"Then I met Ben Affleck. What struck me first was how funny he was, but man was he ripped as well.
"I've never been the type of guy to get involved in any sort of macho one-upmanship, but I admit I was more than a bit intimidated, and it gave me the desire to push it a bit more, because Ben is really built.
"The guy is huge. I'm puny by comparison. He is much bigger than I expected, this huge presence and vast physicality.
"I had to step it up. When you see this mountain of a man walking around set, you think, 'I've got to get to the gym... yesterday.'"
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Despite the film's success at the box office, it was announced that Cavill would not return to the DC Universe as Superman.
"I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it's sad news, everyone," the actor said via a statement on Instagram back in 2022.
"I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.
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"After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life.
"The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that.
"James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.
"For those who have been by my side through the years...we can mourn for a bit, but then we must remember.... Superman is still around.
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"Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there!
"My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will.
"It's been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards."