How Henry Cavill Transformed His Body For The Witcher

He may have already looked god-like in all of his DC appearances, but Henry Cavill took his workouts to a whole new level in order to play the lead in Netflix's The Witcher. Here's how he got into the best shape of his life to play Geralt of Rivia. 

To make sure that he was looking as shredded as humanly possible for his many shirtless scenes in The Witcher, Cavill allowed himself to systematically dehydrate. Over the course of four days, he would gradually reduce his fluid intake so that when the time came to shoot, he had zero water weight. As he explained during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, 

"Yeah it gets your, makes your skin really thin, so it sits on the muscles."

He goes on to explain the grueling, borderline masochistic process:

"On the first day you'll have a liter and a half, and the second day half a liter, and then the third day no water, and then you'll shoot the fourth."

Cavill has plenty of experience when it comes to pushing his body to the limits for a role, but this was definitely a tough ask, even for him. The actor even admitted,

"You're the most miserable person on the planet."

In fact, he says that, 

"You get to the point on the last day where you can smell water nearby." 

Well, the results speak for themselves. The internet went wild when shots of Geralt in the bathtub were included in the Witcher trailer.

Believe it or not, Henry Cavill was once told that he was too fat to play James Bond. The actor was up for the role of 007 in the period between Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, and he received some rather harsh feedback. As he explained to Men's Health UK,

"I remember the director [of Casino Royale], Martin Campbell, saying, 'Looking a little chubby there, Henry. I didn't know how to train or diet. And I'm glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better."

Cavill learned all about the importance of training and dieting in the years that followed, but it wasn't until he started preparing for The Witcher that he began to truly appreciate what goes into being a bodybuilder. In an Instagram post, Cavill revealed that he'd been reading into the big players of the bodybuilding game, and he found himself in awe of them. The caption reads: 

"It's absolutely fascinating to see what they put themselves through, the drive and mental strength required to get to such a place physically. Phil Heath in particular has caught my eye not only for his achievements but also for his genuinely humble and informative approach to his messaging."

Clearly all of his hard work paid off…but perhaps that goes without saying.

Keep watching the video to find out more about how Henry Cavill transformed his body for The Witcher!

#TheWitcher #HenryCavill #NetflixOriginal

He Cut His Water Intake | 0:14
Finding His Personal Heroes | 1:10
Fasted Cardio | 2:15
Sculpting The Perfect Posterior | 3:21
Using Smaller Weights | 4:16
Hyperextensions Were Key | 5:13
Mastering Time Management | 6:03
He Super-Sized His Shoulders | 7:06
He Built Ferocious Forearms | 8:05
He Focused On His Core Strength | 9:17