Movie audiences know Henry Cavill as the dashing and brave character of Superman, but growing up, his classmates knew him as “Fat Cavill.”

“I was a chubby kid,” Cavill revealed in the latest issue of Men’s Health. “I could’ve very well gone down the route of just accepting my lot in life and being like, ‘I guess I’m not going to do anything.’”

Instead, Cavill gained confidence by performing in school productions. He lost weight by playing sports along the way.

By the time he was in Hollywood, auditioning for the suave role of James Bond, Cavill was required to show some skin. He walked out of a bathroom, wrapped in a towel, as he was instructed. Then, he said, the director, Martin Campbell, commented, “Looking a little chubby there, Henry.”

“I didn’t know how to train or diet,” Cavill said. “And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”

(A representative for Campbell did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.)

Cavill said he wants to be worthy of slipping into the costume of whatever role he’s playing.

“I’m representing important characters here,” he said. “I don’t want to be a dumpy Geralt [his role in the upcoming Netflix show The Witcher] or a fat Superman.”

While it’s unclear if Cavill will continue playing the “Man of Steel” in future movies, the actor insisted that he’s “not given up the role.”

Either way, he’s working out, sticking to a routine of bodybuilding moves and interval exercises that keep his heartrate up.

“I know what it feels like to go from out of shape to in shape,” Cavill told the magazine, “and [afterward] I’ll look at myself like, ‘Man, well done.’ It’s not like I’m a golden god — I’m just proud of what I achieved. And then you can take your clothes off in front of your significant other, and they’re like, ‘Goddamn, you look great!’ Like, ‘Yes! I’m making other people happy.’”

Cavill’s latest project, The Witcher, premieres on Netflix on Dec. 20.

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