If Henry Cavill’s scenes in Netflix’s The Witcher are making you want to hit the gym, be cautioned that his chiseled physique isn’t exactly obtained via a healthy method. Cavill revealed on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show that he is dehydrated in every shirtless scene in the show, claiming the method “makes your skin really thin so it sits on the muscle.”
The unadvisable forced dehydration ensures Cavill drops water weight before filming, which allows him to appear more cut than if he was properly hydrated. On The Graham Norton Show on Dec. 23, Cavill talked about getting ripped to play the lead role of Geralt on the show. The actor told Norton that when training for “these sort of things” the most important reason to be physically fit for stunt work, not to impress with a buff appearance.
“Yes, you are supposed to look a certain way aesthetically, especially if your shirt’s off,” Cavill told Norton. “But it’s mostly for staying healthy.”
Norton then brought up Cavill’s forced dehydration practice, saying it “doesn’t sound very healthy.” Cavill defended the method, but also admitted it’s the worst part of the appearance-based regimen.
Cavill said four days prior to filming a shirtless scene, he allows himself to drink a liter and a half of water. The next day, he drinks half a liter. But on day three, he goes completely without water and doesn’t drink water until shooting wraps on the fourth day.
“When you’re dehydrated for three days, you get to the point on the last day where you can smell water nearby,” Cavill told Norton.
The practice is dangerous, to say the very least. Dehydration can cause fatigue, dizziness and confusion in adults. Experts agree that the average person can only survive about three days with zero water intake. At least 60 percent of the human body is made of water, making water essential to healthy functioning.
Call it proof of Cavill’s commitment to a role or yet another unadvisable appearance-based hack to come out of Hollywood. Just certainly don’t call the practice healthy.