Luke Evans Reveals Seeing Henry Cavill Topless Almost Made Him Quit
Luke Evans – Pontypool lad turned Hollywood superstar – has made his name playing hyper-masculine characters like Zeus and Dracula. But as he shares in the latest episode of the Men’s Health UK podcast, his journey to playing these roles has been anything but straightforward.
‘I wasn't always like this – this very masculine-presenting gay man,’ he says. ‘People think of me as this big action guy, but when I was young, I was this skinny, bullied, mouse-like kid who didn't like who he was.’ Growing up in South Wales, Evans’ concept of masculinity was shaped by old-school rugby players and coal miners – by beer and the odd brawl. ‘It wasn’t what I wanted for my life,’ he says. ‘I knew I wasn't that person.’
It’s a perspective that makes the 45-year-old uniquely qualified to talk about masculinity in all its forms. ‘Masculinity is much more about how a man feels in himself,’ he says. ‘It’s being comfortable with who you are. It’s not about having muscles or being the loudest one at the party.’
Tackling Zeus – and In Awe Of Henry Cavill’s Rig
That sense of self-assuredness, though, didn’t come easily. At one point Evans talks about a trial by fire: preparing to play Zeus in Immortals. With only seven weeks to train, he had to catch up to co-stars as well as good friend Henry Cavill, who’d had months to prepare. ‘I’d just done a movie in Newcastle where the catering was sausage rolls and pasties,' says Evans. 'And I love a sausage roll and a pint of Newcastle Brown.
‘I remember one day, Henry took his top off and I was like, “Oh Jesus, I've got to get out of here. I can’t do this.”’ But instead of quitting, he leaned in: ‘I went into this extreme bootcamp of training, eating, and sleeping. We were like monkeys in a zoo: there was feeding time, then we would train, then we would do stunts, and then we would nap again.’
The result? Evans lost 13-and-a-half kilograms in seven weeks. ‘I ended up with abs for the first time in my life,’ he says. More importantly, he discovered a mental toughness that’s stuck: ‘I learned, firstly, that I could commit to something that I knew was going to be very painful and not easy. But it meant the next time I had to approach a challenge, I knew I’d already achieved something that I thought I couldn’t do before.’
Redefining Masculinity
While his career has primarily involved playing straight, macho men, Evans is quick to point out these roles aren’t about conforming to old-school ideals. ‘I don’t think it has anything to do with masculinity,’ he says. ‘It comes down to who you are as a human being. I know strong, straight men who are really effeminate. Things have changed.
Still, he acknowledges the importance of tradition. ‘We can’t completely throw it away,’ he says. ‘Some of it is ugly, and it's had a light shone on it in recent times. But I don't think all of what we would class as masculine is bad. Our past is our past. Everything that's happened to us informs who we are today. We can't deny our history. We can just learn from it.’
Lessons From Superman
Evans credits much of his growth to his friendships with men who embody a healthy, well-rounded masculinity. Chief among them is Henry Cavill – ‘there’s no bigger man than Superman,’ as Evans puts it. But it's Cavill’s kindness that stands out: ‘As a human being, he is a very kind, warm, welcoming, open, accepting, liberal kind of man.’
That warmth has reinforced his belief that masculinity isn’t about appearances or bravado. ‘It’s not who you are in real life,’ he says of his macho roles. ‘It's called acting. I didn’t get the roles for any other reason than that they thought I was the right person for the job. They didn’t think about my sexuality. They didn’t think anything other than, “He looks the part and he can act.”’
Building Character In the Gym
These days, Evans views the gym as more than a place to stay in shape for the big screen. ‘That’s the time when I have some solace,’ he says. ‘I just put some music on and get on with it.’ Much of his training knowledge comes from working with renowned trainer Simon Waterson: ‘We've worked together on several movies, and learning from people like that… they have so many ideas and it never gets boring.’
Even now, Evans holds onto the lessons he learned during that grueling prep for Immortals. ‘I could have probably got myself out of that movie,’ he says. ‘But what are we going to learn [by doing that]? You may end up failing, but at least you can say you've had a go.’
Evans didn’t fail – far from it. And the experience has left him with more than just the memory of a defined midsection: ‘I actually achieved something. I’ve got a picture of me standing in this little loincloth on the edge of my trailer. I literally have like four per cent body fat. I'm like, how did I do that? I just committed and I got on with it and I learned something about myself.’
It’s that commitment – to learning, growing, and shaping what it means to be a modern man – that makes Evans’ story so inspiring. As he puts it, ‘I think that's how you build character. Sticking at something, seeing something through. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.’
Watch the MH podcast on YouTube or listen via Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast providers.
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