Copyright Screen Rant
Russell Crowe just revealed that he first met his Highlander co-star Henry Cavill when he was just a teenager. The two actors starred together in Man of Steel, with Crowe as Jor-El and Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman. Over a decade later, they're reuniting for a reboot of Highlander. While promoting his new film Nuremberg, Crowe stopped by The Joe Rogan Experience and revealed that he first met Cavill many years before Man of Steel. Crowe was working on a movie called Proof of Life, which was released in 2000. There was a scene being filmed at Stowe School in England where a rugby game was being played. While trying to concentrate on the scene, he kept looking over at the game because one of the kids had superb skills on the field. During a break in the filming, that same kid, who just so happened to be a young Cavill, walked right up to Crowe, introduced himself and asked how someone can start in the entertainment industry as an actor. That led Crowe to have a conversation with him before they eventually went their separate ways. Days later, Crowe returned to Stowe School to take part in an event for Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, the boy playing his son in the film Proof of Life. While he was there, he decided to sign a photo for the rugby player and found out his name was Henry. The actor wrote, "To Henry, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Russell." I love Henry. I've known him for a long time. I've known him since he was a schoolboy. I met him at a place called Stowe School in England. I was doing a scene in a movie called Proof of Life, talking to my son in the movie, and in the background, a rugby game is going on. We're doing the scene and everything, but I've got my eye on the field, and there's one guy on the field who is just displaying--he's got a great brain for the game. And as it happens, we finish the scene and they break up what's going on behind us. And that one kid is walking towards me and he's the kid that I've been watching. And he wants to have a chat. He introduces himself and he just asked me, how do you get into acting? And so we had this very, very brief conversation. Then we got swamped by these other kids. A couple of days later, I was doing a present for the kid from that school who played my son, who was a boy called Merlin Hanbury-Tennison, his name was. I was doing a thing for him. And then I had some other things left over and I was like, What was that other kid's name? Henry. I wrote on a photo of Gladiator of Maximus, which was a movie that had not actually been released yet. To Henry, journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Russell. Wow. He kept that photograph with him, wherever he lived, place to place, and he kept his dream alive and burning. Cut to years later, Crowe and Cavill were working out at the same gym in Illinois to prepare for Man of Steel. At one point, Crowe decided to introduce himself to the actor who was cast as Superman. He then realized he somehow knew Cavill, who reminded him of when they met at Stowe School years earlier. Crowe admitted that the coincidence was "absolutely wild" and "crazy." According to Crowe, Cavill kept the signed photo from Crowe no matter where he lived or what he was working on at any given point and "kept his dream alive and burning." The next time I see Henry Cavill is in a gym in Illinois, the outskirts of Chicago. I'm working on one side of the gym, he's working on the other. And I'm thinking to myself, well, I'm Superman's dad. I reckon that must be Superman over there. It looks like it. So we worked in the gym a week or more together before we talk. And finally, one day, he comes over, puts his hand out, and we start talking. And at one point, I went, do I know you? He goes, yes, sir, you do. And he reminds me. And I went, Henry? That Henry? Is this Henry? It was crazy. That's wild. Absolutely wild, right? As the two actors get ready for the Highlander reboot, it turns out it was Cavill's idea to cast Crowe as Ramirez, the character originally played by Sean Connery in the 1986 film. Crowe was Cavill's "one option." The Nuremberg star admitted he can't wait to reunite with Cavill because it will be "a lot of fun." And so now we have this other situation where he's in a position of being the Highlander. And they asked him who he wanted to be Ramirez. And he said, I've only got one option, and you got to get him. And so that's fantastic. It's going to be a lot of fun when we eventually get around to make it. And so now we've got the third stage of our connection. When we get to do it, it's going to be great. Crowe and Cavill were supposed to start filming Highlander already, but Cavill ended up rupturing his Achilles, so production has been delayed. Highlander is a fantasy franchise that launched in 1986 with Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod (the character Cavill's playing in the reboot) and Connery. That spawned four sequels, an animated film and three TV shows. The original film centers on Connor as he learns he's immortal and is forced to fight against a rival warrior. The reboot of Highlander has been in the works for several years, with different actors and directors attached at various points in time. Aside from Crowe and Cavill, the film will also star Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Max Zhang, Dave Bautista and Drew McIntyre. Production will get underway in 2026 after Cavill has recovered from his injury. Nuremerg will be released in theaters on Friday, November 7, 2025.
