亨利·卡维尔：超人是怎样炼成的

by Bryan Alexander

Henry Cavill wears blue jeans， 1）flip-flops and a T-shirt while walking through 2）a flock of diners at Fishbar restaurant.

Maybe its his 3）stride， 4）physique， deep blue eyes and dark hair， but the guy really does look like Superman， even while relaxing on the beach.

“When my hair was longer months ago， you wouldnt have said as much，” says Cavill， 30. “But at the moment， yeah， I guess theres a certain 5）resemblance.”

This “certain resemblance” was strong enough that director Zack Snyder chose the British actor to play the iconic comic-book character in Man of Steel. It was also enough that Cavill was 6）pursued for 2006s Superman Returns， though he lost out to Brandon Routh when the project 7）switched directors.

The experience of having come so close makes 8）capturing the Man of Steel role that much more rewarding.

“I guess you can say Henry was born to play Superman，” says Snyder， noting the actors physical similarities.“But all these life experiences have come together. Hes gone through a journey. In our movie， Clark Kent gets beaten down by life and then becomes Superman. Henry has done the same thing.”

Cavill has already had an impressive career， including roles in 2002s The Count of Monte Cristo， Showtimes The Tudors and 2011s Immortals.

But he has also 9）shrugged off 10）setbacks such as losing out to Daniel Craig for the role of James Bond.

“Having had all the ups and downs maybe made me want to work all the harder，” Cavill says. “Yeah， bad things will happen to you. And youll get kicked （down） a few times. Stand up.”

Snyder was 11）hooked on Cavill after his December， 2010 12）audition and became fully 13）convinced after a screen test with the actor wearing Christopher Reeves注 14）Lycra Superman outfit. Even though Cavill was out of shape after being directed to eat pizza to appear like a regular guy for 2012s The Cold Light of Day， Snyder knew he had his man.

“When he came out in the suit， it was like， ‘OK， thats our Superman，” Snyder says.

Cavill recalls the phone conversation when he found out he got the part. He was 15）ignoring calls while playing video games before he noticed his 16）potential employer was trying to reach him. When they finally connected， Snyder was too polite.

“Im thinking， ‘Hes letting me down easy，” Cavill says. “And then he said， ‘I was also wondering if you wanted to do a little movie with me. Inside there were fireworks going off. But I played it extremely cool.”

The “little movie called for the supersuit to be updated with an “alien” look. A cast was 17）assembled that includes Russell Crowe as his father， Jor-El， Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as 18）adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent and Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Meanwhile， Cavill immediately underwent a four-month physical 19）regimen 20）supervised by 300 trainer Mark Twight.

Cavill says he avoided using 21）performance-enhancing drugs and computer-graphic tricks to make his body look bigger on-screen.

“I wanted it to be me，” he says. “It helped me get into character. And also because its my name. I wanted to provide that image （of Superman） and make it reality.”

在鱼吧餐厅，穿着蓝色牛仔裤、人字拖和一件T恤的亨利·卡维尔穿过一群用餐者。

也许是因为他的步调、体格、深蓝色的双眼和黑发，总之这个男人真的长得很像超人——即使是在沙滩放松的状态下。

“几个月前我的头发比现在长一点，你肯定不会说我像，”30岁的卡维尔说道。“但现在，是的，我想确实是有某个相似之处。”

这个“相似之处”足以让导演扎克·施奈德选择这名英国演员扮演《超人：钢铁之躯》里这个标志性的漫画角色。这个相似之处也曾令卡维尔入围角逐2006年的《超人归来》，但是电影后来换了导演，他最终败给了布兰登·罗斯。

那次失之交臂的经历令这次斩获《钢铁之躯》的角色更显珍贵。

“我想，你可以说亨利天生就是演超人的料，”施奈德说。他注意到这位演员在体格上的相似点。“但所有这些经历也要加在一起。他走过了一段历程。在我们这部电影里，克拉克·肯特备受生活的打击，而后成为超人。亨利经历过同样的事情。”

卡维尔之前的履历足够令人印象深刻：他演过2002年的《新基督山伯爵》、“Showtime”电视台的《都铎王朝》以及2011年的《惊天战神》。

然而，他也曾对数次挫折一笑置之，其中一次就是败给丹尼尔·克雷格而失去了扮演詹姆斯·邦德的机会。

“所有这些起伏也许让我想更努力工作，”卡维尔说。“是的，坏事会发生在你身上，你也会尝过种种打击。勇敢站起来吧。”

在2010年12月的试镜之后，卡维尔就引起了施奈德的密切关注。当这位演员穿着克里斯托弗·里夫的莱卡超人服试演了一幕之后，施奈德就认定了卡维尔。由于当时要出演2012年的《白昼冷光》，为了看起来和普通人一样，卡维尔要大吃比萨饼，导致身材走样。即使是这样，施奈德知道卡维尔就是自己要找的人。

“当他穿着超人服走出来，那就像：‘好的，那就是我们的超人，”施奈德说。

卡维尔回忆起得到角色的那通电话。他当时正在打游戏机，没有理睬打来的那些电话，一直到他留意到未来的老板正在找他。两人终于说上话，施奈德却表现得太有礼貌了。

“我在想：‘他是要让我轻松一点去接受事实吧，”卡维尔说。“然后他说；‘我想，不知道你愿不愿意和我合作一部小电影。我的内心可是激动澎湃啊，但我表现得非常冷静。”

这部“小电影”要求超人服升级为“外星人”的样子。演员阵容包括罗素·克洛（饰演超人生父乔-艾尔）、凯文·科斯特纳和戴安·莱恩（分别饰演超人养父母乔纳森·肯特和玛莎·肯特），以及艾米·亚当斯（饰演露易丝·莱恩）。与此同时，卡维尔马上投入到为期4个月的体能训练当中，指导人是《300勇士》的训练员马克·特维特。

卡维尔说自己避免使用兴奋剂和电脑图形特技令自己在大屏幕上看起来更大块头。

“我希望那是真正的我，”他说。“这帮助我进入角色。而且因为上面写的是我的名字，我希望塑造出（超人的）形象，并让他真实可信。”