Man Crush Monday: Henry Cavill

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice has  just hit theaters, and we can’t help but use this as an opportunity to hardcore gush about the film’s star Henry Cavill. How do we love thee, Henry? Let us count the ways.

10. He’s made us swoon for years.

Perfect looks? English charm? Heated gazes? Henry Cavill is the tall, dark, and handsome stranger of your dreams. Before he was Superman, Cavill had roles in films like The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and I Capture the Castle (2003). In the latter, he made us swoon with his smoldering looks and boy-next-door charm. He was supposed to portray a character whose looks were as perfect as a Greek god’s, and we’d say he more than fit the bill.

9. He doesn’t take himself too seriously.

He confesses embarrassing moments on national television, like the time he locked himself out of his hotel room while he was naked and had to take the elevator down to the reception desk to get help. That’s one elevator we wish we would’ve been stuck in.

8. That accent, though.

Seriously. Can’t. Even. Handle. It. Also worth noting: when he was preparing his American accent for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., he was imitating Clark Gable’s accent from Gone with the Wind. 

7. He loves Outlander.

Stars: they’re just like us! Anyone who claims, “Jamie is a Scottish Superman,” is a winner in our book. It’s like he is speaking to our heart.

6. He can speak multiple languages. 

Reports vary as to the number of languages he can speak, but he is known to be at least conversational in French, Spanish, German, and Italian. How do you say, “Be still, my heart,” in French, Spanish, German, and Italian?

5. He makes history sexy.

Appearing as the playboy Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, on Showtime’s The Tudors, Cavill was the steamiest part of a ridiculously steamy show. And we loved every minute of it.

4. We love his squad.

Frankly, we don’t know who to be more jealous of in this situation. Either way, #SquadGoals.

3. He turned childhood trauma into strength and wisdom.

Cavill revealed in Details magazine in 2013 that he was bullied at school as a child. In fact, he was even dubbed “Fat Cavill” by cruel classmates. According to an interview with Entertainment Tonight:

Kids are cruel. Kids are mean. Kids are just trying stuff out. […] I think the important thing is that we need to start focusing on bullies and working out why they’re bullies. They’re probably bullies because they’re getting bullied, or there’s something in their life that they don’t understand, so they’re just projecting it and reflecting it upon someone else. If we could help them, the kids getting bullied by them would in turn be helped, because they wouldn’t be getting bullied. Two birds with one stone.

Cavill claims he has no hard feelings toward the boys who bullied him– how’s that for grace?

2. He has a charitable heart.

Not only has Cavill gamely participated in the ALS ice bucket challenge with Man of Steel co-star Amy Adams, but he’s also an ambassador for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust and works closely with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, located in his native Jersey. You can read more about his involvement at #CavillConservation.

1. He is adorable with kids.

Henry Cavill has a way with kids– he appears totally at ease with them, as evidenced by this video that we shared with you in February. His official Instagram also features a brief video of his encounter with a kid on the red carpet, and Google images is littered with Cavill chumming it up with kids.

What’s next for Cavill? He’s putting that American accent to use again in the film Sand Castle, a war drama by Fernando Coimbra due out later this year. But until then, we’ll ride the Batman v. Superman wave, proudly repping #TeamSuperman… or should we say #TeamCavill?
Photo Credit: Clay Enos/Warner Bros.