BALANCE_FEBRUARY_2020 - 18

e didn't think it was possible, but Henry Cavill is somehow more
perfect than we could have even dreamed. BALANCE recently
spent an afternoon in the company of the Hollywood superstar and
came away spellbound. We knew the 36-year-old had a lot going for
him - A-lister, physique of a Greek god and now, a businessman,
having become a shareholder in No1 Rosemary Water (more on
that later) - yet what really shines through is Henry's decency and integrity.
"I love to make people feel good, to bring a smile to someone's face," he says. "Or to see
somebody dry their eyes, see them perk up and take on the world - that is a gift to me."
It may sound like he's selling the American dream, but this Briton is as genuine as they
come. Think of your brainy best mate; the calm and collected member of your pals to whom
you all turn for advice and inspiration. The sort of chum who will pick you up, dust you
down and set you on your way. "If I can have a positive influence on someone's day, great,"
he continues. "They can pass it on and someone else can have a positive day on top of that."
BALANCE has long admired Cavill, not just because he's a bona fide movie star, but also
thanks to his life-affirming Instagram account, the fact that his colleagues praise his work
ethic and likeability, and he has never let a setback define him. Rather, he has seen every
knock on his career path as a chance for growth. We might not all be Henry Cavill, but his
positivity is something we can all be inspired by.
"I try not to think of negatives, or what someone else may consider a failure or a miss
professionally speaking," he explains. "I just think of them as another stepping stone or
a part of the journey, because it can't all be sunshine and gloriousness; there have to be
darker days for you to appreciate the better days. And I've been very fortunate to have good
people around me: people I can trust.
"Even when things are bad, you can make good out of them. It's a matter of trying to find
the goodness there, and reminding yourself that it's about being happy. It's not necessarily
about achieving this or that, because the goalposts will always change. Years ago it was all
about being [James] Bond, and I didn't get that. Then I became Superman. And now I'm the
Witcher, and The Witcher is the biggest streaming show on the planet. It's like, oh, OK, so..."
Henry picks up a spoon and moves it three inches while adding: "I don't believe that
everything happens for a reason, apart from the very obvious, like this spoon ended up
there because I moved it. That was the reason, not because the universe dictated it so.
I do believe that just because one door closes, it doesn't mean that five doors didn't open up
in the process. It's about keeping your eyes open and sharp so that when you do get kicked
in the head by life you go, 'All right, then. What else am I missing that has just happened
as an opportunity?' That has always been my approach. It's easier said than done because
you will be down in the dumps sometimes. So it's about dragging yourself out of there and
trying to find the positive."
He adds: "I don't let things I've achieved define me. I define me in whichever way I wish.
When I get married one day and hopefully have kids, they aren't going to give a flip about me
having played Superman! They're going to be a baby which needs my input to make it into
a fully formed human. That's all that really matters, not: 'He did that and that and that.' You
go to places around the world and it's refreshing and rewarding when people don't give a..."
Henry deliberately doesn't swear (we told you he was perfect). He goes on, "People look at
you and go, 'You were Superman? Oh. Cool. Can you drive a tractor?' It's all relative. I bring

I D O B E L I E V E T H AT
JUST BECAUSE ONE
DOOR CLOSES,
IT DOESN'T MEAN
T H AT F I V E D O O R S
DIDN'T OPEN UP
IN THE PROCESS
18

it back to happiness. It's about making this define
you. Not anything else."
Henry's incredible workout routines have
been well-documented, so BALANCE would love
to know what he does for mental wellbeing.
"Sometimes working out can help," he says.
"And I do find - this sounds silly - but going for
a walk makes a massive difference. My mother
would always swear by this and still walks for
miles. It's a great way of building a rhythm for
the body so the brain can start working. If you
have a problem, something you're trying to work
out or something that is really getting to you,
instead of sitting on the sofa or screaming into
the bathwater, go for a walk. A rhythm will be
created and you will be able to work out what the
problem is and be more at peace. It is to do with
the rhythm you create from walking, I believe."

PLAYING HARD
Henry describes his mum as "extraordinary" and
says from her he learned "integrity, honesty and
happiness within yourself is very important. She
has always advocated: 'Do what makes you happy
because you only live once.'
"When I was a young boy in school, acting
and considering drama school instead of
university, she was the first person to say,
'Absolutely, do it! Yes. If that's what you love
doing, be happy.' You can spend your life with
all the degrees under the sun and be unhappy
because you didn't do what you wanted to do.
If you're going to be happy running a bar in the
Caribbean, then great, that's all you need to do.
She has always been an advocate of happiness
first, everything else second."
Videogames - specifically, the Total War
series on PC - also play a key role in helping
Henry escape. "It's a double-edged blade, that
one," he says. "There are times when it is a great
switch-off from the world. As soon as I step
foot out of the door, I am working. So for me, at
home, rather than sitting twiddling my thumbs
thinking, 'Man, I wish I could go outside,' I lock
into a game on my PC, play that and switch off.
"At the same time, I am very competitive and
play everything on the hardest level I possibly can
because I do like the challenge. So I get frustrated
as well; there have been times when I've been
up at 3am or 4am going, 'I'm not going to beat
it today. I need to go to sleep and stop winding
myself up because it's having the exact opposite
effect of what I wanted.' It works both ways."

HE'S No1
Another form of escapism has come in the form
of No1 Rosemary Water. Rather than be a brand
ambassador, such was his voracious thirst for the
product that he's become a shareholder, having
met founders Bonita and David Spencer-Percival.
"I was planning on making my own water,"
Henry explains. "I was researching springs
around the UK, pH values and what that means
for the body, and wanted this water to be

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