The story is all too familiar. A boy discovers he has extraordinary powers and is not human. He searches for his origins and a clear mission. The film tells the story of his journey to awaken the hero inside him, and then the action of saving the world begins. Yet amidst the familiarity, we watch the film every time, especially because we want to see how another actor can bring to life the Man of Steel or the world’s Superman!

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El. He joins an award-winning cast that includes four-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams (The Master) as Lois Lane, Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road), Oscar winner Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) as Jonathan Kent, Oscar winner Diane Lane (Unfaithful) as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) as Jor-El.

6’1” British actor Henry Cavill (pronounced like travel) is the first non-American to play Superman. The handsome actor with a strong jawline and signature sharp jawline came close to landing the role in 2006’s Superman Returns but lost out to Brandon Routh. That same year, he came close to playing Agent 007 in Casino Royale but lost out to Daniel Craig. He was considered too young for the role, but too old to play 17-year-old Edward Cullen in Twilight, which went to Robert Pattinson. Cavill lost out on another role to Pattinson, Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That’s all in the past now, as the world welcomes him as the new Superman.

The experience of being so close to landing major roles only to be passed over at the end of the film has in some ways trained Cavill for the path-finding character he plays. “I guess you could say Henry was born to play Superman,” director Zack Snyder says. “But all these life experiences came together. He went on a journey. In our film, Clark Kent is pushed around by life and then becomes Superman. Henry did the same.

According to producer Charles Roven, playing Superman gave Cavill the same boost that every kid who ever put on a makeshift cape and imagined flying through the sky got. “When he put on that suit, Henry’s whole demeanor changed. He really owned the character, both on and off camera, and put a lot of effort and thought into every aspect of the performance. It was beautiful to watch.

Cavill avoided steroids and computer graphics tricks to make his body look bigger on screen. “I wanted it to be me,” he said. “It helped me get into the character. And also because it’s my name. I wanted to deliver that image (of Superman) and make it real.

To develop the physicality required for the role, Henry Cavill spent months training with Mark Twight of Gym Jones. Twight, who first worked with Zack Snyder on 300, recalls,
“Zack came to me and said, ‘I have another project and it’s probably going to be harder than the first one. I need you to make someone look like Superman. ‘”

Twight admits,
“That idea scared the hell out of me. But Zack brought me someone who was willing to work hard. Fitness is not just physical strength and stamina, it’s strength of character. It’s committing all of your available resources to achieving a goal. Only when expectations are higher can performance be higher.

Cavill trained like crazy with a 5,000-calorie-a-day diet to gain muscle. During the bodybuilding phase, when he had to cut calories, the diet definitely became more difficult, but Cavill was determined and never lost his cool. “If I was cranky, I would hold it in until I got to the car,” he says. “It was just some choice words. And I could be professional and get back on set.”

Combining a variety of transferable functional training techniques, Twight and his team, including trainer Michael Blevins, were able to work with the actor to gain the skills, strength, and confidence he needed to perform wire walks, fight scenes, and stunts.

“When he realized he could lift twice his body weight, he believed,” Twight says. “Henry had achieved a level of discipline and physical ability that was beyond his reach.” Most importantly, Cavill achieved his goal—and added 15 pounds of muscle to his body—through hard work and discipline. “Henry said he wanted to look like he was in a suit when he went out,” Twight adds. “He didn’t even need body makeup for the shirtless scenes because he had trained and wanted to show it.” “The training was really a revelation,” Cavill notes. “I learned that I could do things I never thought I could do. Mark kept changing things up and opened my eyes to see beyond what I thought my limits were.” He was able to crush me, but just enough that I couldn’t walk normally and I felt terrible and a little sick… but I still wanted to go back,¦. he smiles.

The intense training led to what Cavill calls a moment of realization, where you think, okay, I can do this. Number one, it’s not going to kill me. And number two, I’m in safe hands. And number three, I actually enjoy it. Yeah, it hurts. It’s painful. But I love getting past that point to realize that your body is actually capable of doing this. The moment when that happens is amazing.

In this revelation, Twight sees parallels between character and actor.

“Superman is a story of self-discovery. Henry’s journey is quite similar. He’s discovering his own abilities and the confidence that comes with being physically fit and knowing how to create whatever outcome his body wants.”

“Henry completely transformed his body,” Roven added. “He already had a great physique, but he really transformed it into something superhuman for this movie.”