Henry Cavill is a British actor known for his roles in blockbuster films like Man of Steel and Justice League and TV series like The Witcher and The Tudors. However, his toxic behavior in his personal and professional life has often scandalized moviegoers.
Moreover, it has made him controversial and negatively impacted his image. Unfortunately, Cavill’s casual misogyny has ultimately cost him the iconic roles that shaped his career.
He was allegedly in a showmance with Kaley Cuoco
Cavill was promoting Man of Steel, which premiered on June 14, 2013, when he started dating actor Kaley Cuoco that July. During their fleeting ten-day romance, the pair managed to squeeze in several paparazzi strolls before their relationship fizzled out as abruptly as it began.
At the time, Cuoco was the second highest-paid television actress in Hollywood, and to some, the timing and nature of Cavill’s fling with Cuoco seemed suspicious. Many wondered who leaked the news of their budding romance to the news media. There were whispers that their relationship was a tawdry publicity stunt invented by their publicists.
Cavill soon resumed his relationship with his girlfriend, Gina Carano, whom he started dating in September 2012.
He dated a big game hunter
In 2014, Cavill ended his relationship with Carano and started dating Marisa Gonzalo, a then 21-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, who was a big game hunter in her spare time. Fans of the Mission Impossible star were baffled to learn that the self-described animal lover was dating someone who killed animals for sport.
He was beloved for raising money to support environmental causes. The star encouraged fans to sponsor mountain gorillas and other endangered species.
Cavill aficionados were stunned when the photos Gonzalo had proudly posted of her kills on social media circulated in the press. Many felt that it was hypocritical of Cavill to claim to love animals on one hand while dating someone who killed animals as a hobby.
His relationship with Gonzalo eventually collapsed amidst scandalous rumors that she was leaking stories to the press for profit and clout.
He got aroused on the set of The Tudors
In 2015, Cavill told Men’s Fitness that he got aroused while shooting an intimate scene with a colleague for The Tudors. He admitted that he had not prepared properly before the shoot.
“I hadn’t rearranged my—stuff into a harmless position. She’s basically rubbing herself all over me and, um, it got a bit hard.”
However, Cavill said that the blushing event was a one-time thing. He explained that he found it challenging to expose his body on set in front of members of the cast and crew. He said the experience was awkward and distasteful. Cavill gave a dismal description of shooting sex scenes:
“The actual physicality is very uncomfortable. All you’re doing is smacking your nuts against someone, and nothing is going in.”
Some might say that his comments underscore the importance of having intimacy coordinators on TV and film sets to monitor the choreography for the scene and safeguard the actors.
He dated a teenager when he was in his 30s
In October 2015, 32-year-old Cavill fell for a 19-year-old Bristol University student at Mahiki nightclub in London. Her name was Tara King, and Cavill went public with their relationship shortly after it began.
The Enola Holmes star happily attended red-carpet events with the teenager on his arm. When Elle asked him about their age gap, Cavill remarked:
“People say age is just a number. It’s actually a real and true sign of someone’s maturity. But in this case, she’s fantastic.”
He also revealed that when he was 19, he was in a relationship with a 32-year-old.
Cavill had high praise for King, who he described as protective, caring, and accepting. However, their romance ended in May 2016. Sources say the pair split because they were looking for different things, but remained friends.
He claims age-appropriate relationships aren’t easy
Cavill claimed he dated younger women for practical reasons, explaining the demands of his career made it difficult to date someone with an established life of their own. He told Playboy that it was challenging to date a public figure for women his age with their own careers. He explained that young women who had not established their careers were more amendable to his lifestyle:
“It’s tough for anyone to be in a relationship with someone like me. It’s a tough lifestyle. If I want someone who’s a professional they’ve got their own s**t going on. So unless I meet someone who’s very, very young who hasn’t yet started trying a career like that, you can then go, ‘Okay, I’m going to travel with you and do some stuff, maybe I’ll write or whatever; I’ll entertain myself or build my own kind of traveling career.'”
Cavill said he would like to have a relationship with an age-appropriate partner who had built an established life. He revealed that he’s come to understand that unequal relationships aren’t wholesome.
I’m looking for someone who’s my own age and will have a career. If they haven’t, then maybe I should be worried. It’s easier said than done.
Once again, Cavill’s comments stirred up controversy and his interview with Playboy was scrubbed from the internet to protect his image.
Perhaps someday, Cavill will realize that many men in his career field have accomplished the daunting feat of building an equal relationship with a romantic partner and learning from their example.
Controversial remarks about the #MeToo movement
In 2018, Cavill engineered a self-made disaster with his astonishingly insensitive remarks about how the #MeToo movement inconvenienced his love life. He appeared to be oblivious to the harm of sexual violence on people who experienced it and expressed disdain for changing social and cultural norms surrounding sexual harassment and consent.
“It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something. So you’re like, ‘Forget it, I’m going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked.’ But it’s way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I’m someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what’s going to happen?”
People found Cavill’s views problematic for several reasons. His remarks perpetuated harmful myths about sexual harassment and consent. He also expressed a misguided belief that women are to be feared or conquered as opposed to accepting women as people with a right to set boundaries around their sexuality. Finally, his comment seemed to suggest that the protection of women from sexual harassment complicates the lives of men.
Cavill published an apology in The Hollywood Reporter, claiming he has only the utmost respect for women and blaming the editors at GQ Australia for how his obtuse views found their way into print.
“Never would I intend to disrespect in any way, shape, or form. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson as to the context and the nuance of editorial liberties.”
As flimsy as his redress was, his fans gave him a pass and went back to swooning over his good looks.
Most of the controversies surrounding Henry Cavill seem related to his cavalier attitude toward women and several tone-deaf remarks about the #MeToo movement. Fortunately for the British star, his fanbase remains unswayed by the star’s sexist shenanigans and he’s currently gearing up for Amazon Prime Video’s Warhammer adaptation.