Henry Cavill Talks Working With Millie Bobby Brown On Enola Holmes 2 - Exclusive Interview

Henry Cavill is more than familiar with taking on characters with a habit of saving the day. The actor first donned Superman's suit in the 2013 film "Man of Steel," but that wasn't the end of his run in the role. He went on to wield truth, justice, and the American way in DC films like "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League." And according to Cavill's Instagram, this isn't the last we've seen of his Superman. 

In 2020, Cavill took on literature's most famous detective when he starred as Sherlock Holmes in Millie Bobby Brown's Netflix film "Enola Holmes." Now, he's back again in the sequel, and fans even get a glimpse of the famous Baker Street as Sherlock helps Enola solve a particularly tricky case.

Before his work as Sherlock, Cavill made a name for himself on films like "Red Riding Hood," "Stardust," and "Immortals." He also starred in TV shows like "The Tudors" and, more recently, Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's "The Witcher " — for which he has now passed the baton on to Liam Hemsworth. 

Looper spoke to Cavill during an exclusive interview where he discussed "Enola Holmes 2," improvising with Millie Bobby Brown, and his favorite moment in the movie. He also mused about whether Sherlock or Superman would win in a battle and the most significant differences between stunt work in "Enola Holmes 2" and Superman films.

Can you describe Enola Holmes in three words?

Enola Holmes — she is bombastic, driven, and irrepressible.

You have a great inebriated scene with Millie Bobby Brown. What was that like to film, and did either of you improvise in the moment?

Yes, there was plenty of improvising. There [are] things that don't make the cut sometimes, and there was plenty of stuff done there which was a lot of fun to do but not fitting for the pace or the moment and how they want to present it. But lots of improv. The script was very much a shell which we worked from, and Millie's a wonderful actor to improv with.

Can you give something specific that didn't make it in?

I'd prefer never to talk about those kind[s] of things. The movie is wonderful as it is.

Do you have any favorite Sherlock projects that have come before? Any that helped inspire your character?

No. I try to stick to my job as a supporting character and a supporting actor. And that is to collaborate with Harry and Millie and make sure that whatever I'm doing, whatever decisions I'm making, are conducive to the story which they want to tell and conducive to the arc of Enola.

Can you tease your favorite scene or favorite moment from the film?

The scenes in Baker Street are my favorite. They're wonderful [on] that set, which I enjoy.

How different or similar is the stunt work on a film like "Enola Holmes 2" as opposed to superhero [roles] like Superman?

[In] "Enola," for my character, there's not much in the way of stunt work. There's a little bit of fight choreography in "[Enola Holmes] 2," but it's not really based around that. With the superhero movies, with other stunt-heavier projects, there's a lot more prep involved and a lot more time spent [with] wires or behind [a] green screen. They're two very different things.

Both Sherlock and Superman are fairly intense characters. How would you say they compare or differ [between] Sherlock's brains and Superman's brawn? And who do you think would win if they went up against each other?

Goodness me. First of all, Superman isn't just brawn. There's so much more to him than that. And second of all, they wouldn't go up against each other. Superman is no villain, and Sherlock only goes after the bad guys.

But Sherlock — I suppose it would come down to the Batman/Superman argument, which is, if Sherlock had enough prep, could he take out Superman? I think the age-old answer to that is, in reality, only if Superman allowed it to happen, because he is Superman, after all. He's, if anything, held back by his ethics and morals in that circumstance.

"Enola Holmes 2" is released on Netflix on November 4. 

This interview has been edited for clarity.