The pressures of maintaining a screen ready physique can be brutal at times, especially when your lack of physical shape to play James Bond earns a comment from your would-be director. Believe it or not, out of all the people in the world to have that experience, in a role that almost saw actors like Cary Grant and Burt Reynolds cast in its lead, Henry Cavill was once told he was too chubby to play 007.
Henry Cavill seems to always be in superb shape these days, and it comes in handy when playing spies, superheroes, and now a monster hunter in The Witcher. While he’s no stranger to films about spies and espionage (just look at Mission: Impossible – Fallout and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. for proof), there is one role in the spy realm that he did not get, and that would be the part of James Bond. In a new interview (via CinemaBlend) Cavil spoke about trying out for the role back when Casino Royale was being developed, and he remembers being called out by the director for his weight.
“I probably could have prepared better,” Cavill said. “I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry.’ I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”
