Just Some Thoughts On…Who Did Henry Cavill Piss Off?

Who did Henry Cavill piss off?

I find myself asking that question more and more because it looks like he really upset someone based on his treatment in general. I started thinking that during his tenure as Superman and now it comes up more and more in my mind with all the leaks concerning his time on The Witcher. To be honest, I have not watched The Witcher. I just haven’t gotten around to it. It seems up my alley, but I watch a lot of stuff and some things fall by the wayside until I eventually get to them. Anywho…

Henry Cavill is an apparent nerd. The kind that Chris Hemsworth played in Blackhat-but real! He is that mythical sexy nerd come to life. Makes me reconsider my whole stance on the reality of unicorns. If Henry Cavill can be a nerd and look like he does, then certainly a magical creature like a unicorn can be real as well. I have heard that he was almost late to his Superman audition because he had gone to a midnight release for Warhammer 40,000 which he is apparently now developing into a series for Amazon last I read.

Onto The Witcher…

Henry Cavill is a fan of the books and significantly steeped in the lore from all appearances. I am left with the impression he was almost desperate to play the character of Geralt of Rivia. Not desperate in a way of needing a job but desperate in that he was hungry to play because it would be his dream come true to be that fictional character.

But reports leaked out initially about how difficult Henry Cavill was to work with. But as more and more leaks came it was alluded to if not outright stated the reason he was difficult to work with was because he was committed to adhering to the lore of the books while the producers and the writers were not. At this point it appears that the writers if not the producers really didn’t even like the lore that gave them a job and have their own vision for it. In other words, they desire to take an existing property and re-purpose it for whatever they want to actually make rather than do something completely original.

Inside sources keep leaking stuff about Henry Cavill’s desire to adhere to the source material and along with those leaks are the various mentions of the writers not liking the mythos. And now the producer is not only actively bashing Cavill but blaming fans for the poor quality of what she’s doing. Really? When did it become acceptable to blame the intended audience for not liking what you’re making? Adults take responsibility for their failures. Children blame others.

Arguably Henry Cavill was the only star of the show. He is the only one that the general public could really name. What was intended in appearance to be Netflix’s Game of Thrones failed to produce any names beyond Henry Cavill and he came into it with brand recognition already. And the logic of not being civil in public and thus harming a show that was already suffering because of backstage drama eludes me.

Why were they so against it and him? I’m not saying they should’ve listened to everything he had to say or wanted to do, but it appears as if they had taken a stance that nothing he had to say would even be considered. They were going to do their own thing and use The Witcher property to do it.

And I think back to his time as Superman…

In the interviews I saw he seemed to really find joy and pleasure in being the Man of Steel. It wasn’t just a job to him, but rather a fun job to him. He had some real love for it, but rather than get a proper sequel he got jerked around by DC and dumped not once but twice while Aquaman and Wonder Woman both got proper sequels to their films. Ezra Miller was a massive public relations nightmare and got a solo project as The Flash.

The more I write out my thoughts the more I come to feel that this isn’t so much Henry Cavill that they are against or Henry Cavill who has specifically upset them but rather a reaction to passionate fans. Studios seem to be taking a stance against the passionate fans and even blaming them for failures. Rather than giving them what they want have decided to tell them what to like. This goes back to The Witcher creatives who are blaming the fans rather than taking responsibility. With Henry Cavill, not only did they get a star for their project, but they got somebody who cared about the material on a level that went beyond getting a paycheck. For people who have no respect for what they are handling that can’t be a good or pleasant thing.

I think Cavill’s issues stem from him being too perfect of a person to take on the part. He’s a passionate nerd who cares about the material he’s working with. He wants to honor it and those that created the mythos which he is playing in. For him it may not be a chance to do his own thing with another property and that’s why he rubs people the wrong way. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t understand this point of view and this point of view is probably the proper one. Ultimately Cavill is the right guy working with the wrong people.