Last month the news broke that Henry Cavill was in a relationship with television exec Natalie Viscuso — and when that news broke, so did millions of hearts. Now, the actor who has played Superman in the DC Universe is requesting that fans end the animosity, gossip and speculation about his personal life and respect his privacy.
Cavill took to Instagram Saturday to issue a lengthy, heartfelt plea to his well-meaning supporters.
“Dear fans and followers, I wanted to make a wee community announcement,” his caption began. “I couldn’t help but notice that there has been some social animosity of late. It’s becoming increasingly prevalent on my feed. There has been lots of, let’s call it speculation for now, about my private life and professional partnerships. Now, while I do appreciate the passion and support by those very people who are ‘speculating’, It has come to such a point that I needed to say something, which in itself, is a bad thing.”
“We are living in an age of social enlightenment,” Cavill continued, “More and more, people are realising [sic] that their views may have been blinkered and that they need to expand them to encompass others.”
The caption, which was posted alongside a sweet selfie of Cavill and Viscuso, grew more stern as it went on.
“So, to you out there who are expressing your disdain and showing your displeasure through a surprising variety of ways, it’s time to stop,” he added. “I know it can be fun to speculate, to gossip, and to dive into our own personal echo chambers on the internet, but your ‘passion’ is misplaced, and it causes harm to the people I care about most. Even your most conservative of negative assumptions about both my personal and professional life just aren’t true.”
Although it’s unclear what specific criticism he is referring to, some fans have debated the legitimacy of the relationship, as well as Cavill’s sexuality in the past.
“I am very happy in love, and in life,” he concluded, “I’d be enormously grateful if you were happy with me. If you can’t bring yourself to be happy with me, then at the very least try to do yourself proud and be the best version of yourself.”
After years of keeping a notoriously low romantic profile, Cavill announced his relationship with Viscuso on April 10 with a picture of the couple playing chess and a caption referring to her as his “beautiful and brilliant love.” Viscuso, who is the Vice President of Television and Digital Studios at Legendary Entertainment, posted the same photo to her own account.
