Henry Cavill may have risen to fame with DC’s Superman films, but the actor has since given up his iconic role and started a new journey. However, some things seem to stay the same, like the actors’ incredible physique. But while it may be hard to believe, even the Man of Steel struggled with finding the motivation to keep himself in shape. Surprisingly, what worked for the actor may not work for everybody else, though.

No one can imagine Superman being bullied, but two years after the actor bagged his role in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, he ended up revealing that he used bullying techniques on himself to ensure that he would stay fit.

How Henry Cavill motivated himself to embody Superman

According to reports from The Guardian, back in 2015, one year before Batman v. Superman, Henry Cavill opened up about his struggle with body image issues after playing the iconic superhero. In the interview, the actor revealed that he was “very self-critical”, an attribute that he shared with most of the world. However, unlike most of us, Cavill used that “to motivate himself.”

In the interview, Henry Cavill, who was recently dragged into another heated DC film debate, went on to say that being Superman has been both a blessing and a curse as everywhere he went, people would ask if he was the superhero. But his feelings towards his body did not change. He also revealed that sometimes, when he was not feeling himself, he would “look in the mirror” and say to himself, “Look at you, you fat f*ck.”

While that may have thrown a lot of the actor’s fans, it worked for Henry Cavill only because he may have had a more personal reason behind it. One that he chooses not to talk about anymore, as he finds it ironic.

The reason behind Henry Cavill’s body image issues

In the past, The Witcher star had been the victim of bullying, just like many other high-school teenagers. But while the actor has since moved on from his boyhood incidents, they have still stuck with him. Even years after becoming one of Hollywood’s leading men, the actor revealed that he found it hard to believe someone when they told him that he was not overweight.

While that may have carried through to the actor’s adulthood, it seems Cavill has found a better way to channel it now. Even though it may not be the way most people go about it, it seems to be the best for him. It truly has been an ironic story that played out, a bullied child who grew up to become Superman.

What do you think about the way Henry Cavill motivates himself? Let us know in the comments below.