Henry Cavill’s GQ Australia interview was not good. It was actually painful to read his rant about the Me Too movement and how men should be able to say “hi” to women without being accused of rape. It was a dark look into the seemingly innocuous-looking face of rape culture. Here’s Superman saying sh-t like “I think a woman should be wooed and chased, but maybe I’m old-fashioned for thinking that. It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something’.” You can read a recap of that and other garbage statements from Cavill here.
So, obviously, there was a huge problem. His publicist realized there was a huge problem as soon as the interview went online. Within the same 24-hour news cycle, Cavill issued an apology through his rep (meaning: it was written by his publicist):
After those comments were met with backlash, Henry Cavill’s rep issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which the actor said he “wanted to apologize for any confusion and misunderstanding” that his comments may have caused. Insensitivity was absolutely not my intention. In light of this I would just like to clarify and confirm to all that I have always and will continue to hold women in the highest of regard, no matter the type of relationship whether it be friendship, professional, or a significant other,” Cavill said in his Thursday statement.
The actor added: “Never would I intend to disrespect in any way, shape or form. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson as to the context and the nuance of editorial liberties. I look forward to clarifying my position in the future towards a subject that it so vitally important and in which I wholeheartedly support.”
“This experience has taught me a valuable lesson as to the context and the nuance of editorial liberties.” So brave of him to blame his dumb rape culture bulls–t on the magazine writer who, you know, just sat there and asked him questions and likely recorded him saying all of it. This wasn’t just one sentence that was misquoted either – he went on for nearly a page, talking about dating and his philosophy about “chasing women” and pursuing women even if they didn’t show any interest. He has some really f–ked up thoughts about rape, harassment, sexual relations and courtship and it’s not just an editorial quirk.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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