Henry Cavill: I Was 'Fat Cavill'

Henry Cavill is Details magazine's July cover boy, but before he was Superman, the Man of Steel star admits to the men's publication, "I was fat. ...I was Fat Cavill." Click the pics to find out more about the actor, including his story about how he first met his famous co-star Russell Crowe while still in boarding school. Man of Steel hits theaters on June 14, 2013.

Cavill tells Details of taking on this iconic role, "This character matters so much to so many people…I want to get that right. I want to do it justice. I want people to believe in the character and have faith in the character and kids to grow up wanting to be Superman."

Cavill recalls first meeting his on-screen earthly father Russell Crowe as a student, telling Details, "He was on campus filming Proof of Life. ...Everyone was standing in a semicircle, and I thought, 'We look ridiculous, staring like he's some kind of prize pony.' So I walked up and said, 'Hi, my name is Henry. I'm thinking of becoming an actor. What's the acting world like?' He said something like, 'Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's not so great.' Then everyone ran up and asked for autographs, and I turned to Russell and said, 'Run.'" Days later, Cavill received a package from Crowe, "There was also a signed note. ...It said, 'Dear Henry, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

Where was Cavill when he found out he got the role of Superman? Playing video games! "When I found out I got the part, I was home playing World of Warcraft. [Director Zack Synder] called, and I thought he was calling to let me down easy. But then it dawned on me that he was giving me the part. I had to play it cool. Be appreciative, respectful, professional. But the second we hung up, I just sprinted up and down my stairs cheering and whooping like a madman. I kept looking in the mirror, going, 'I don’t believe it. I’m Superman? I’m Superman!'"

Admitting that he's always been "worried about" his weight, Cavill tells the magazine that he was put on a 5,000 calorie diet for the role of Superman, but he's since gotten off that food plan. As for his Man of Steel workout routine, the actor reveals, "We did some of the first shots in Plano, Illinois …and they'd get me up at the crack of dawn, and we'd go to work in this tiny gym at the bottom of the very cheap motel we were staying in. We'd go for an hour, an hour and a half, and then we'd film all day in 100-degree temperatures."