Henry Cavill‘s name is all over the news, following reports that he’s departing Netflix’s The Witcher after three seasons of portraying Geralt of Rivia.
Another unfortunate detail is also pushing the 39-year-old actor’s name to trend, as the popular star’s dating history once again comes back to bite. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Tyler, and Johnny Depp have all been on the receiving end of criticism over the years, after consistently choosing partners of much younger ages. With Cavill’s name once again at the forefront of conversations, some people are wondering why he hasn’t received similar pushback.
Many people may be unaware of a previous relationship Cavill was in several years ago when he was 33. The Superman star spent several months in a relationship with then-19-year-old Tara King back in 2016, but reports of the relationship — while frequent at the time — rarely crop up in conversations. This is sparking a fresh debate online, as people wonder if Cavill’s persisting popularity is the culprit behind the lack of backlash.
The reasons why “people give Henry Cavill a pass when he dated a 19 yo while 33” are widespread, according to commenters on a recent Reddit post. Several people believe that Cavill simply has an excellent PR team, who’ve spent years working to bury news of his uncomfortable dating age gap. Despite their best efforts, his claims that “age is just a number,” are coming back to haunt him.
Back in 2016, Cavill did face backlash for the 14-year age gap, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as what many celebs face today. His team did good work in shoving the news aside, and his thriving career in Hollywood, and reputation as a pleasant actor to work with, have helped to erase the memory of his dating history.
Those who do recall the uncomfortable relationship have plenty to say about Cavill, and his tendency to lean into “neckbeard” territory. “I say this as a Henry Cavil [sic] fan: This dude is just a good looking neckbeard,” Redditor swirlygates wrote. “He’s still popular because his thoughts align with a very vocal portion of the internet and he’s hot as fuck.”
Quite a few people agree with this sentiment, voicing their continued enjoyment of Cavill’s work, but balancing this alongside criticism of the actor’s many problematic attributes. One commenter also noted Cavill’s past comments on the #MeToo movement, which saw him decry the idea that a woman might be put off by a man’s advances.
More than anything, people want to know how older men can excuse such a large age gap. At 33, what could Cavill truly have had in common with a literal teenager? Other than mutual attraction, it seems unlikely the two had much to relate on.
Cavill has since moved far beyond King and is now dating a woman much closer to him in age. There’s still an eight-year age gap between him and 31-year-old Natalie Viscuso, but it’s not nearly as striking.