Henry Cavill is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most versatile actors in Hollywood, who has a career spanning from thrillers to action flicks and even television projects. While he is known for his prolific performance, improvisation isn’t something that we expect from Cavill. But you’ll be shocked to know how the actor improvised a couple of gleefully bloody scenes in Guy Ritchie’s latest offering.
Appearing in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a story based on secret, real-life WWII commandos, Henry Cavill delivered a few Nazi-killing sequences where he is seen sticking his tongue out like a rock star, out of sheer happiness, every time he kills a German soldier. Well, that was apparently improvised by Guy Ritchie and Cavill.
Henry Cavill’s Improvisation as Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s Film
After wrapping up his works in Argylle, Henry Cavill took on the role of Major Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s WWII drama The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Based on the 2014 book by Damien Lewis, the film narrated the real-life story of secret World War 2 commandos who brutally killed German soldiers. The movie focused on the massacres of Cavill’s character alongside Alan Ritchson and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
Guy Ritchie’s 2024 drama certainly heightened the Nazi-killing brutality, wherein Henry Cavill was spotted sticking out his tongue in a joyful, manic grin, during a few gleefully bloody scenes. Now, surprisingly, according to Cavill those scenes were completely improvised by him and the filmmaker. Speaking with Variety, the Man of Steel actor opened up about the brutal scenes that caught viewers’ attention in the film’s first trailer.
“It was a co-improvisation between Guy and myself. Guy said, ‘I want you to have more fun with it. Stick your tongue out or something.’ And so we did and it stuck, as featured quite well in the trailer. That was the first moment where we decided Gus was going to be slightly unhinged in these moments, and that makes it more fun.”
Cavill mentioned how the improvised gesture helped him and Guy Ritchie shape the idea of Major Gus March-Phillipps’ character, going forward.
Was Cavill’s Improvisation in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Accurate?
However, while the brutality of Henry Cavill’s performance attracted attention, it also concerned fans if it was historically accurate. Since the movie is based on true incidents, audiences wonder about the veracity of the gestures. But worry not, writer Arash Amel, who adapted Damien Lewis’ story admitted that while the actors were offered creative freedom, “everything is rooted in truth”.
“It was totally in the essence of Gus March-Phillipps to behave exactly in that way. He was the guy who blew up a bridge in Norway when he was told not to by British high command and almost got court marshaled. So for him, he lived to kill Nazis in the same way Alan Ritchson’s character Anders Lassen lived to kills Nazis.”
Clarifying the exact concern of fans, Arash Amel noted that Gus March-Phillipps probably “didn’t stick his tongue out, but who knows maybe he did?” Praising Henry Cavill for his intense performance, Amel noted that the actor “embodied Gus from start to finish.” Alongside Cavill, even Alan Ritchson delivered a phenomenal performance.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization, formed during World War II, that followed a group of rogues on a mission against the Nazis. Created by the then U.K. prime minister Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming, and a small group of military officials, the works of the organization eventually found its way to the silver screen with Guy Ritchie’s movie.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is running in theatres.
