Henry Cavill said he was told he wasn’t lean enough to play James Bond

• Henry Cavill said he was told he wasn't lean enough to play James Bond.
• The "Superman" actor told Insider he was a "chubby kid" who felt too insecure to take his top off.
• He said he feels pressure to stay in shape, but ultimately enjoys the rewards.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Henry Cavill said he was told by the director of James Bond that he wasn't lean enough for the role.

At the time, Cavill was about age 21. He told Insider the comment came from a place of "mentorship and guidance" rather than body-shaming.

"It was his tough love way of saying, 'Look, mate, you're in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if it's for something like Bond.' And I wasn't by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera," Cavill, 38, said.

The comment was meant "good-naturedly," he said, as advice to a young man at the start of his career.

Cavill said he was a 'chubby kid' who felt insecure taking his shirt off

Cavill said his fitness motivation comes from being "chubby" as a kid.

"I've always been fairly insecure about taking my shirt off," he said.

Keeping in shape and training hard gives him confidence.

"Being in really good shape and thinking it's OK to take my shirt off, because I'm actually looking pretty decent right now, that makes it 100% worth it," he said.

Cavill feels pressure to stay in shape as an actor

Cavill says there is pressure to stay fit in the industry, but a lot of the pressure comes from himself.

"I do want to do well, I want to be fit, and I want to also play these roles correctly," he said. "If I'm going to play roles like Superman and Geralt of Rivia, I need to be in pretty good nick. It takes hours in the gym."

The "Witcher" actor told Insider he follows a high-protein diet and trains hard to stay in shape.

While Cavill said he's always enjoyed "being physical," he's not always excited to get up at the crack of dawn to work out or head to the gym after a long day.

"Having said that, the reality is it does feel good when you're doing it and it's working, and yes, it's necessary for work," he said.

Cavill said he wishes he had more time to train and is sometimes so "knackered" he takes two scoops of MuscleTech Shatter pre-workout supplement before hitting the gym.

"It's a bit rough, but the rewards do feel good," he said.