Actor Henry Cavill shared that the film Gladiator had a part in inspiring him to make a living on the big screen.
Appearing on the Deadline video series The Film That Lit My Fuse, Cavill was asked what film or series inspired him to take up work in Hollywood when he was young. The Man of Steel star revealed that acting had always been in the cards for him, so there was no specific movie that really kickstarted his passion. "I'm not too sure if this particular move made me have to tell stories on screen," he explained. "I think I wanted to do that anyway. That was something that was bouncing around at the back of my head and I was excited. I was always interested in drama. I was doing school plays at the time, and it was definitely one of my two goals which I was going to go for."
When Cavill Watched Gladiator
Having said that, Cavill cited Ridley Scott's 2000 film Gladiator, saying it was a formative experience for him because of the way he watched it and how the movie grabbed his attention with its presentation. The discussions he participated in after watching the film made him realize how special movies can be and how much he wanted to be a part of creating them.
"I went with my English class, and it was a special trip which my teacher planned, and we all went together and watched the movie," he said. "It was such a unique experience because, one, I was watching it with other students, rather than going by myself ... and also we got to discuss the movie afterwards. I don't particular remember what was said in those discussions but all of a sudden, if felt like more of a thing than it ever had before. There was more of a breakdown as to what was happening and why we liked the movie. I love that period of history anyway, and the way [Gladiator] presented it was engaging and fun, and it made me think 'that's the kind of stuff I want to do.'"
Although he reprised his role of Superman for the recent DC Universe film Black Adam, Cavill has caused a stir recently due to his exit from the Netflix series The Witcher. He announced that Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth would take over his role as main character Geralt of Rivia for the show's fourth season. While it has not been confirmed, there are reports that major creative differences caused Cavill to leave.
Gladiator is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Deadline