Given that he’s starred as both Superman and Geralt of Rivia, you’d imagine that Henry Cavill is a pretty tough guy to intimidate. But, one man who succeeded in making Henry Cavill doubt himself was his DCU co-star, Ben Affleck.
Cavill and Affleck worked as colleagues and co-stars on Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman in 2016, and its 2017 sequel Justice League. The two films might not be the best movies that either Cavill or Affleck have starred in, but one thing is undeniable: the two actors were both pretty great in their roles.
Cavill was a Superman ripped straight from the pages of a comic book, and Affleck is genuinely underrated as Batman. In fact, we even think he might be the best Bruce Wayne. Part of what made the pair so suited to the best DC characters is their physicality: they look like superheroes, and both worked out a lot to get into the biggest possible shape for the role. The only problem for Cavill was that Batffleck was bigger.
“Like most things in life, you put yourself at a certain level, and I thought I was in good shape going into that film. 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,” explained Cavill, speaking to Healthy For Men magazine in 2020 (via ComicBookMovie).
He said, “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’.”
It seems almost impossible to believe that Henry Cavill, a man known for his giant-like size, found Affleck’s presence confronting. Cavill’s description of the size disparity between him and Affleck doesn’t necessarily translate to the screen, though that could partly be down to Affleck’s physique mostly being hidden under his hulking Batman suit.
Either way, next time you see a picture of Cavill and are stunned by his size, know that it’s Ben Affleck who pushed him to get there.
For more on Henry Cavill, you can read out feature on why he’ll be missed now that he’s gone from The Witcher. Speaking of which, you can also keep up with the status of The Witcher season 4 release date, and see our picks for the three characters he could play in his upcoming 40K series.
Alternatively, stick with the DCU by seeing our guide on the best way to watch the DC movies in order, and get the lowdown on the best DC villains.