LA CONFIDENTIAL - NOvember 2008

Prepare for Takeoff
The Tudors' Henry Cavill casts off his royal finery and lets out his inner bad boy with modern gear.

O, Henry!
It’s no surprise that Henry Cavill is on everyone’s radar these days: He’s a lead in Showtime’s Emmy-nominated The Tudors and the face of Dunhill cologne, and he has two films on deck. “I’ve been fairly unlucky in the past,” he admits, referring to his handful of almostroles, “but whether I’ve been unlucky or indeed lucky, you don’t really know.” We think his luck’s going to hold. With his cool British charm, enviable good looks, and undeniable talent, who could stop him?

On The Tudors, Cavill plays the notorious Charles Brandon, an elevated commoner and schemer whose character evolves from a playboy in season one to the politically aware and socially conscious duke by season two. But don’t typecast this rising star into period roles (he has also appeared in The Count of Monte Cristo, Tristan & Isolde, and Stardust). “I used to say playing Alexander the Great [would be my ideal part], but all things change in a young man’s mind.”

Look for Cavill on the big screen mastering two very different characters, in Joel Schumacher’s Creek and in Whatever Works, an upcoming Woody Allen film in which he plays a young actor in New York. “I’m really getting into exploring different aspects of my personality and putting them into roles.”

A self-professed classic dresser who loves the smart casual look and suits at all times of the year, Cavill gets a kick out of dressing for his Dunhill shoots and for magazine spreads like ours. “I had the biggest fortune trying on some interesting things for the LA Confidential fashion shoot. I must have looked at some things and gone, ‘Oh… I would never wear that,’ but then after trying them on I went, ‘Wow! This actually looks kind of cool.’” We couldn’t agree more.—GILLIAN NADEL

SOURCE: LA Confidential