Man of Steel star Henry Cavill refused to reveal any Superman secrets at the press day for his Greek gods epic Immortals. But the British actor did eloquently explain why his nationality doesn’t stop him from playing an all-American superhero.
Cavill was mainly there to talk about his upcoming turn as the Greek hero Theseus – and we’ll have more on Immortals in a little bit – but he did address one or two Superman-related issues. Most importantly, Cavill was asked whether a Brit can really play a character who is so resolutely American. Cavill argued that it doesn’t matter, drawing a parallel to Superman’s own Kryptonian origins:
It is an iconic American role… well, he’s an American icon. Whether it’s an American role or not, I can’t be sure. Superman is a universal image, and what he stands for is very universal. He was certainly raised in America, but he in himself is not necessarily American, because he comes from somewhere very far away and very different, and he is very different. And therefore all the more beautiful when he tries to do so much for all of us who are so different from him.
Other than that, Cavill was resolute in avoiding even the most minor of potential spoilers, including whether his own somewhat curly hair would be changed to play Superman:
This is my hair. The style? [Slowly] Yes… there’s only so much I can say. It varies. What you’ve seen is what you’ve seen, if you’ve seen anything online. And who knows how different the finished product will be? How’s that for a non-answer?
So, you heard it here first – Superman may or may not have more than one hairstyle through the course of Man of Steel. Possibly.