Henry Cavill has often displayed his nerd side in interviews, earning the name ‘King of the Nerds’. However, there’s another actor, Cavill’s co-star from Mission: Impossible 6, who’s more deserving of the title than anyone else. Simon Pegg is one of the few actors to have achieved the Holy Grail of Nerd-dom, having played popular characters in Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars.
Pegg believed that being dubbed the King of the Nerds was a mischaracterization, and he shared that he is much more than just a nerd. Simon Pegg is set to start filming Mission: Impossible 8 soon with Tom Cruise, with whom he shares a great friendship.
Simon Pegg Feels That The Title ‘King Of The Nerds’ Doesn’t Suit Him
Simon Pegg is a frequent collaborator with director Edgar Wright, with the duo creating the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. Pegg played the villain, The Editor, in one of the episodes of Doctor Who. He played Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the Star Trek movies from 2009 to 2016. In 2015, he also appeared as a Junkyard dealer, Unkar Plutt, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
While the trifecta of roles earned him the de facto King of the Nerds title, Pegg felt that it did not accurately describe his real-life persona. During an interview with the Independent, the Paul actor admitted to enjoying such fantasy roles, but he also added that there’s more to him than what the nerd culture defines. The Hot Fuzz actor told the Independent:
“[King of the Nerds title] might be a slight mischaracterization. It’s definitely part of my life and I do continue to enjoy that kind of thing, I suppose. But I think there’s a lot more to me than just that.”
While he understood why he was considered a nerd, Pegg shared that the term has been appropriated for a long time and meant a different thing today. Pegg joked that watching Iron Man is the criteria to be classified as a nerd these days. The Shaun of the Dead actor rejected this notion, stating that nerd communities were more active and came together in a world where they felt included.
Why Is Henry Cavill Often Hailed As The ‘King Of The Nerds’?
Henry Cavill became a global star after his role as Superman in the DCEU. He further amazed fans with his portrayal of Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher series. Interestingly, Cavill is well-versed in both the Superman comics as well The Witcher lore from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books. He was often the best source of information on the sets of these projects.
His passion for video games is widely known. He has played The Witcher video games, but his all-time favorite is Warhammer 40000. On several occasions, he revealed one of his hobbies to be painting Warhammer miniatures. Cavill is also tech-savvy as he knows how to build a computer. Henry Cavill almost lost his Superman role because he was playing World of Witchcraft when Zack Snyder called to inform him of getting the part.
Simon Pegg’s latest project is a voice role in Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures, which is available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
