"Fat Cavill" - Film audiences will be shocked to learn that the star of the upcoming MAN OF STEEL, was once called by that name, because after IMMORTALS and MAN OF STEEL, audiences are likelier to call him "Eight Pack Cavill" than anything else, there is not an ounce of fat to be found on the Englishman's body.
Cavill has spoken at length about his desire to capture the image of Superman from the comics right and he worked very hard with his trainer, Mark Twight of Gym Jones. In the June issue of French language Candian magazine Star Inc (courtesy of Mr.Cavill.com) he outlines the stages of getting his physique ready to play the iconic character perfectly. Here is a translation.
It was work... a lot of work! I have always loved sports and physical activities, but I have never worked out like this before. To become Clark Kent, I had to be the best friend of Mark Twight, my trainer!
The program involved three stages. The first was to gain weight/mass. So I spent weeks eating nearly 5000 calories daily while lifting extremely heavy, to grow bigger. I love eating, so this stage was not difficult for me, even though I can understand that some people end up having enough of drinking protein shakes 1000 calories a glass. At the end of this stage, I looked like a swole bodybuilder, and I felt like I was going to explode.
The second stage was to lose fat to sculpt the muscles. I had to do hours and hours of cardio to burn all the fat.
And in the last stage, we targeted specific areas of the body. Mark helped me to make my abs bulge out and my muscles more defined.
The workout program was designed according to the needs of the film. The only thing I did not like is the rowing machine, a machine that simulates the movement of rowing. It is torture!
Today, I'm not as muscular (as then), so don't ask me to lift my shirt to check: I (really) am not!
I can not say that (the workout) was the most difficult part of the filming, because it never lasted more than two hours per day. But on the other hand, it was extremely intense. Mark Twight based his technique on going beyond yourself. After a workout, I was gutted because, instead of slowing down towards the end, Mark asked me to actually work harder and harder for the body to reach its limits. He reiterated that, when one of his clients is able to walk out of the gym, they had not worked hard enough... The real challenge for me, was working the long hours. It was not uncommon for me to spend 16 hours on the set per day!
Cavill had previously lost the role of James Bond (in Casino Royale) in a photo finish with competitor Daniel Craig. Here, he expresses his long standing desire to still play the role one day. (IMO he will be absolutely perfect for the role. Absolutely perfect after Daniel Craig is done.)
I would have loved to be James Bond, but I think that Daniel Craig is perfect for the role and I don't have any regrets. Perhaps my turn will come one day!
You can read more of the interview here.
Below are images of Mark Twight training Cavill on the set of Man Of Steel.