Henry Cavill Talks Training and Recovering From ‘The Witcher’ Injury
Q&A
Whether it’s saving the world as Superman or slaying monsters for coin on The Witcher, Henry Cavill is no stranger to physical roles. Good thing the star is dedicated to staying in shape and enjoys a good workout. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle became even more of a priority for him in the last year amid a global pandemic, and he’s hoping to lead by example to help others do the same.
That’s why Cavill linked up with MuscleTech, a sports nutrition brand, where he currently serves as the chief creative director and ambassador. After wrapping his second season playing Geralt of Rivia on Witcher, the beefy Brit shot his first commercial campaign for the company from his Fort Lauderdale home. Fans will be able to catch the content across social media, digital platforms, and other viewing avenues beginning September 1.
Here, Cavill checks in from the U.K. to talk about his latest business venture, training, recovering from an injury sustained on The Witcher set, and more. Consider this your dose of Witcher content to tide you over until the December premiere (in addition to the new prequel Nightmare of the Wolf, of course!).
What made MuscleTech a good fit for you?
Harry Cavill: Why I enjoy being in business with them so much is [their] slogan, “Strength Redefined.” They are talking about strength being more than muscle — strength is all about what we find inside ourselves and what we do with that. We all have the capacity for perseverance and dedication and resilience … with MuscleTech, I can use my platforms to continue to preach the message. MuscleTech is the perfect partner, especially considering how much of my career requires physicality, as well.
MuscleTech
Tell me about the importance of spotlighting first responders and the everyday person in your first commercial campaign.
[This year especially], we’ve really seen the work the first responders do … Those people who are on the frontlines in the fight against COVID and were exposing themselves to risk, that does take strength. Also, it takes strength for the people who are staying at home… a parent, a child… all required inner strength.
When the world shut down, how did it affect your training regimen?
It’s all about finding that balance. Initially, when the first lockdown happened here in the U.K., I used it as an opportunity to actually take my foot off the gas a bit. For me, I’ve been working incredibly hard up to that point. I just for about a month took my foot off the gas, and [then I] got right back into it. I was doing a lot of running training. I had a few weights that were available to me at the place I was staying during my lockdown. So it was helpful to have those, and I was still training. And thank goodness too because I went straight back into shooting The Witcher as soon as lockdown finished.
Speaking of The Witcher, you had that injury while shooting Season 2. What was recovery like?
I can probably say this was the worst injury I’ve had on set. I’ve had a partial tear of my LCL before, but the grade 2 tear of my hamstring was pretty serious. That could have been a career changer. Netflix looked after me, they had a [physical therapist] by the name of Freddie Murray who looked after me and has looked after some top athletes in his time. It was all about finding that balance between making sure recovery was happening efficiently and also that I was able to shoot and do what I needed to do. Yes, I wasn’t sprinting for a while, I wasn’t running, [but] once we got off those crutches, it was about finding a balance between walking and that all the right fuel was going in. There was a deadline. There is a show I had to finish and participate in.
The first WitcherCon was held in July. How would you compare the Witcher fandom with the DC comic fandom?
They are very similar. It’s people who are dedicated and passionate. I have a foot in both of those fanbases because I’m a fan of those things too. It’s all people who are very passionate. WitcherCon was a slightly different experience because it was remote and I’m used to the [in-person] Comic-Con style stuff, but you can definitely feel the passion. I really believe they did a great job to bring WitcherCon to the fans.
Katalin Vermes/Netflix
Seeing how Geralt and Cirilla have finally connected in the first season, how was it sharing more scenes with Freya Allan?
Frey was absolutely fantastic. It was a real privilege to work with her a lot more … almost all of my stuff was shooting was Freya. She is a really good actress. She worked incredibly hard to bring a lot of really good performance to this material. I was very impressed and I think that’s really an actress to watch for the future.
You’re a leading man always in the gym, and you can build a PC. How important is it for you to show different sides of yourself to the public?
We don’t need to pigeonhole ourselves so much. We don’t need to say, “Yes, I go to the gym, and I take supplements. I care about the supplement going into my body. But also I’m actually a nerd and built my own computer. I play Warhammer. I do all of that stuff.” For me, it was a real pleasure finding that within myself, finding that stage where I say, “It’s OK to share this stuff. Why not?” If you are someone who uses the gym a lot, that doesn’t mean you cast disdain on people who build computers and play Warhammer. And vice versa.
MuscleTech
You talk about finding the balance. What’s a cheat meal for you?
I will have a cheat meal once a week … a pizza is always a safe bet. I do like curry, or if I’m in the U.K., a Sunday roast. It all depends on what I’m feeling or if I have guests over or going out to a restaurant and what everyone else wants. I try to keep my weekends as much toward [normal] life as possible because it is important to have that balance.
What’s the future of MuscleTech? What are some of the goals you have?
It’s difficult to have an entry into training hard. I know what it’s like. I have been through plenty of peaks and drops in physical fitness for a variety of reasons — most recently with a fairly serious injury. It’s difficult to recover one’s body. You do feel uninspired to get back into it because you lost so much. It can be quite intimidating to go to a gym and quite intimidating to decide on what products to put in your body. I really want to make training and supplements available for everyone — not just the people who are spending seven days a week training and have been doing it most of their life.
The Witcher, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, December 17, Netflix
Liam Hemsworth
Anya Chalotra
Freya Allan
Joey Batey
MyAnna Buring
Eamon Farren
Mimî M Khayisa
Royce Pierreson
Anna Shaffer
Mecia Simson
Tom Canton
Mahesh Jadu
Graham McTavish
Cassie Clare
Hugh Skinner
Wilson Mbomio
Lars Mikkelsen
Terence Maynard
Simon Callow
Liz Carr
Therica Wilson-Read
Safiyya Ingar
Rochelle Rose
Michalina Olszanska
Robbie Amell
Jeremy Crawford
Bart Edwards
Aisha Fabienne Ross
Christelle Elwin
Meng'er Zhang
Laurence Fishburne
⨁Full Cast & Crew
Conversation15 Comments
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Should have asked him about breaking Covid restrictions to bring his American girlfriend to the UK
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Henry is one of the most professional Actors working today and a lot of people he has worked with, including the Cast and Crew of the Witcher confirms that. The Witcher production stopped during lockdown and they had 2 Covid Cases in early 2020, the Actor Kristofer Hivju and one Crew member which halted production again. So if you really think Henry would risk a stop again by bringing his gf over to the UK you are wrong. I know for a fact he takes Covid very seriously and would never put anyone at risk especially not a whole ass Film production and he wouldn't be allowed to do so anyway. Its beyond ridiculous of you to assume that. Henry had to stop filming a week before Christmas break, what tells you that wasn't the time she arrived? During a time Henry wasn't working and they could quarantine together? And before you scream "I'm a blind fan", no I'm not, I'm a sane person ( a first responder btw) who knows a few things about the internet and gossip. And just because a gossip article like Daily Mail told you some dates and stuff doesn't mean they are right especially when they announced a different woman as his GF. They wrote a whole article about that woman and shared her ig pictures and you want to believe them? Ridiculous. It's pretty obvious why you guys do that, you hate Natalie, fine do that but leave Henry out of it. He's not responsible for her actions and neither do you know if HE flew her to the UK. Maybe she just wanted to be with him during a difficult time
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And she is working for Legendary so what tells you she wasn't there for work as well? Ya all really love to hate on others and it shows. Its really sad.
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"Hypocrisy Redefined "
If henry cavill had a tag line
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As a first responder I am completely disgusted with this guy. There should be a boycott on the entire portfolio of this company! First of all, they dare promote this product on the back of all the first responders who have sacrificed so much. Then they have the audacity to promote it with Cavill who flew in a new woman from Los Angeles and then promoted it as a relationship in Daily Mail when he got caught by paps. According to that rag it blossomed during lockdown. No explanation as to what “kind of work” she was doing to get government approval to travel to the UK for. No apology, just an unhinged message on Instagram scolding his fans for making accusations that he had done something wrong! Why any fan would stick by this hypocrite is beyond me. All his sponsors should drop him.
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You forgot the part about the UK paying into the film industry including The Witcher during the time he had his gf in tow. I find it amusing that everyone assumed the message was to tell “unhinged” fans to back off the gf when it seems it was more to tell people to quit digging into the blatant disregard for Covid protocols. The UK government and the insurance fund should be going after him for a refund of the tax payers money since it’s obvious he had to have broken any rules set forth by that fund.
By the way - thank you for actually being a hero in real life. Maybe you can throw some tips Cavill’s way just in case he ever thinks about putting on the cape again.
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I'm highkey doubting this extreme saltiness is about supposedly breaking Covid protocols. He wears his mask and hasn't come out as anti-vax. So just admit you're angry that he has a girlfriend. This is what typical obsessive stalker fans do when the celebrity object of their choice does something to ruin their fantasies. The level of vitriol is way out of proportion to anything he's actually done. Dude's just living his life getting his hustle. Yall need to accept that: A) he has a girlfriend, B) you never had a chance with him in the first place, and C) you have no ownership over him and get over it. You don't like what he's doing, move onto someone else and stop wasting your emotional energy on him. This hate obsession is unhealthy.
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Well I’m a heterosexual married man. So I don’t really think that’s the issue. I am frustrated with people who take advantage of their position to bend the rules while the rest of us have sacrificed the better part of a year and are still knee deep in the absolute absurdity of this situation. People thinking the rules don’t apply to them. While people are losing spouses, mothers/fathers and so on. They can’t even say goodbye. I’ve seen it and it’s heart wrenching. But since your a fan it’s ok for him to do whatever he wants. It’s been over 6 months and he’s never addressed the accusations. The timeline is published in the daily Mail and he has never once publicly corrected it or answered the criticism. If he didnt do anything wrong, how hard is it for him to clarify. I believe he is staying silent hoping people forget by posting puff sponsorship pieces so he can collect a paycheck by convincing blind fans to buy his subpar products made by a company who has had products pulled from shelves by the FTC.
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Oh yeah, of course, everyone is just bitter jealous of a guy who praised the NHS workers during the pandemic just to fly his girlfriend during a lockdown. A lot of people didn’t have the chance to see their families for months, even a year, sometimes they lost loved ones, but yes, it’s just a question of jealousy. The entitlement is strong there.
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he doesn't care about the people stuck at home and the caregivers, he never cared about that. Instead of abstaining for a time like EVERYONE, no, he put his girlfriend on a plane, without any qualms, for his personal pleasure, bypassing the rules of his country in times of pandemic. Does he speak of inner strength? but in reality it has NONE, ZERO.
you are anything but a role model henry cavill!
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He is so indifferent about the fact he and his Gf broke covid protocols.
They did not address it until now. I really liked him, but I'm very dissappointed by his behavior. I'm not sure if I will even be watching The Witcher s03, because I'm fed up with this priviledged guy who thinks only about himself and has cheek to talk about first responders.
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First of all, Henry would never put anyone at risk especially not a whole production. He would never do that and wouldn't even be allowed to do so and ya all know it. HE did not break covid rules, he got tested every day on Set, distributed masks to cast and crew to keep them save, he always wears his mask as well. And how do you know he brought her to the UK and when? Nobody knows what happened...maybe she wanted to surprise him? Be there for him when he got injured. How do you know she didn't get tested every day? Stayed in quarantine? How do you know she isn't already vaccinated? Fact is they put nobody at risk, nobody got sick. So calm down pls, it's ridiculous. Many people don't even wear masks, party hard, go to events etc. Call those people out...! Oh and btw it's pretty obvious the comments are comming from the same 2 trolls. Anyway great interview, Henry is awesome and I applaud him for this strength and his dedication and professionalism!
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*his strength
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I’d like you to google psychminds celebrity worship syndrome. It may help you distinguish between people having a discussion vs blindly following a human being who is in your mind infallible. If you would like to read the timeline I would hope you would consult the Daily Mail. They are the ones who announced the relationship and quoted sources close to the couple. The story broke in April. At that time, there was a travel ban in the UK which only got lifted in July. Travelers to the UK had to get government approval for work travel deemed necessary (her company is not involved in the Witcher production). Only people 50 and older could get immunized in California at that time. There were many lockdowns in the UK during this time. Months prior people couldn’t even travel across town to see family during Christmas. Secondly, they confirmed she had been with Henry in the town that they were shooting the Witcher. It was a closed set yet she shows up in March/April. Sure she may have quarantined. But, why was the rest of the cast and crew (specifically the producer) unable to see her family during the production schedule, check her Instagram. Yet he can fly in a “a blossoming” romance, a person he had only been acquainted with prior. Seems a little off to me. He’s been called out on many forums. All he has to do is issue a statement that no rules were broken, but he won’t. Why? Lay it to rest…he can’t! Until he does people will alway be suspicious of him.
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Gossip my friend its all gossip. Daily Mail even got the girl and her name wrong, what tells you they got any dates right? You tell me to lay it to rest? Maybe thats what you should do. Attacking people for no reason and assuming stuff about Celebrities is not it. If Natalie flew to the UK with Danys private jet that makes her privileged and thats all. Henry doesnt have to respond to you weirdos, he didn't do anything wrong. Bye!
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