School Bullies Called Him 'Fat Cavill' But 'Superman' Gave Them A Befitting Revenge

"Superman" Henry Cavill has recently opened up about being bullied during his school days, in an exclusive interview with The Sun. The actor reveals, "I was a fat kid so I was an easy target. 'Fat Cavill' was the nickname, which was a totally fair nickname, because I was fat."

Growing up in the Channel Islands in the U.K., the "Man from U.N.C.L.E." actor was bullied for being overweight as a kid while attending St. Michael’s Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey. "I was teased and it was hard," said the star. 

"Because I was overweight and I had ambitions, I was target number one for the alphas of each group," Cavill adds. Acting was his only escape from the bullies who tormented him for being chubby, says the 39-year-old. 

When Cavill landed the titular role in "Superman" in 2013, he was "set for life" and the role gave a befitting reply to all the teenage bullies he had encountered in school. "It's a wonderful role," he said. "There's a huge potential there for complex storytelling, and I'm looking forward to exploring those avenues. Come on, it's Superman! You can't be p-ed off at the idea of playing Superman for the rest of your life."

He admitted to getting the 'last laugh over the bullies', revealing that his tormentors have done a complete 180 now that he's famous, reports HuffPost. He quipped, "I've had a couple of awkward moments where I’ve seen one in a room and deliberately ignored him and really enjoyed it. He kept looking over and trying to make eye contact and I just kept on blanking him. That was enjoyable because he looks like he's still a w*****."

Cavill, in his previous interviews, mentioned that the fact that he had been bullied at school has helped him become a better actor, telling PEOPLE, "Someone who is on the outskirts of popularity is someone who gets to look in, so I became very much an observer, and that taught me an awful lot about people." He learned how to use his social experiences to his advantage, adding, "It helped me read people very well, which has helped me in this industry. If I can understand the inner workings of a human being, then I can probably be a better actor."

The "Man of Steel" actor also went on to explain the reason why he did not hold any grudges against his bullies. "I don't hold any grudges and one of the terrible things about bullies is that they're bullies for a reason, and it's probably because they are getting bullied. And from a far more dangerous place than a kid in school."

Getting teased in school has also helped the star stay grounded despite his success and sex-symbol persona. "You take everything in stride," he says of all the attention paid to his good looks. "Of course, it's flattering when people say that, but you’ve got to keep yourself aware of the fact that it’s all perspective. There’s one group of people saying that and there’s one group of people who may not feel the same way."