In the grand old tradition of the internet, people are “celebrating” Henry Cavill‘s news that he will be overseeing Netflix’s developing Warhammer 40,000 series by revisiting stupid things he has said in the past. And while most fans are nothing but stoked about the former Superman actor landing on a project near and dear to his heart, a few just want to revisit past sins.
The comments in question were made during a 2018 interview with GQ Australia when Cavill was discussing dating and romance. At the time, the #MeToo movement was regularly making headlines following the series of sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein. While discussing talking to potential dates, Cavill made a staggering tone-deaf remark about new boundaries that had arisen in the wake of the movement.
“It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something,” he told GQ. “So you’re like, ‘Forget it, I’m going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked’. But it’s way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I’m someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what’s going to happen?”
Cavill issued an apology a day after the article was published and the backlash subsequently died down but the Reddit page r/Deuxmoi has republished the comments on the heels of a week that has been heavy with news items about the actor, from the revelation that he is no longer playing the role of Superman to today’s revelation of Netflix’s Warhammer deal with him. Response on the thread has been largely negative, with many commenters also citing his admittedly squicky relationship with 19-year-old university student Tara King when he was 33 as well as his relationship with MAGA cheerleader and conspiracy theorist Gina Carano.
It remains to be seen whether the past controversies will die down again or if they will affect his future projects with Netflix.