'Superman' star Henry Cavill says he's not given up playing the Man of Steel just yet

Despite rumours to the contrary, Henry Cavill says he hasn’t given up on playing Superman just yet.

In September, 2018, The Hollywood Reporter claimed the British actor was hanging up his cape after “contract talks between Cavill’s WME reps and Warners broke down” over a proposed cameo appearance in Warner Bros.’ 2019 DC superhero movie Shazam!.

Talking to Men’s Health about staying in superhero shape for his new role in Netflix’s fantasy show The Witcher, Cavill said he wants to be worthy of slipping into the costume of whatever role he’s playing.

“I’m representing important characters here,” he said. “I don’t want to be a dumpy Geralt [his role in The Witcher] or a fat Superman.”

While it’s unclear if Cavill will continue playing the “Man of Steel” in future movies, the actor insisted that he’s still Superman.

“I’m not just going to sit quietly in the dark as all this stuff is going on,” Cavill says of the rumours.

“I’ve not given up the role. There’s a lot I have to give for Superman yet. A lot of storytelling to do. A lot of real, true depths to the honesty of the character I want to get into. I want to reflect the comic books. That’s important to me. There’s a lot of justice to be done for Superman. The status is: You’ll see.”

“The cape is in the closet,” Cavill adds. “It’s still mine.”

Movie audiences know Henry Cavill as the dashing and brave character of Superman, but growing up, his classmates knew him as “Fat Cavill.”

“I was a chubby kid,” Cavill revealed in the latest issue of Men’s Health. “I could’ve very well gone down the route of just accepting my lot in life and being like, ‘I guess I’m not going to do anything.’”

Read more: Henry Cavill on the Snyder Cut

Instead, Cavill gained confidence by performing in school productions. He lost weight by playing sports along the way.

By the time he was in Hollywood, auditioning for the suave role of James Bond, Cavill was required to show some skin. He walked out of a bathroom, wrapped in a towel, as he was instructed. Then, he said, the director, Martin Campbell, commented, “Looking a little chubby there, Henry.”

Read more: Martin Campbell on the Bond casting process

“I didn’t know how to train or diet,” Cavill said. “And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”

(A representative for Campbell did not immediately respond to Yahoo’s request for comment.)

Either way, he’s working out, sticking to a routine of bodybuilding moves and interval exercises that keep his heart rate up.

“I know what it feels like to go from out of shape to in shape,” Cavill told the magazine, “and [afterward] I’ll look at myself like, ‘Man, well done.’ It’s not like I’m a golden god — I’m just proud of what I achieved. And then you can take your clothes off in front of your significant other, and they’re like, ‘Goddamn, you look great!’ Like, ‘Yes! I’m making other people happy.’”

With reporting by Rachael Shewfelt

Cavill’s latest project, The Witcher, premieres on Netflix on 20 December.