Henry Cavill Sesame Street Performance - Self

Henry Cavill was far from Planet Krypton and the Witcher World when he visited Sesame Street. In other words, he was way outside of his natural environment and it showed.

Grade: C+

Character: Self

Sesame Street Characters: Elmo

Episode: #4402

Original Air Date: September 17, 2013

He's the Man of Steel and that's what Henry Cavill's Sesame Street performance looked like. rigid, just like metal.

As the Witcher, playing it more stoic works really well. On Sesame Street you'll lose the interest of the young audience fast if there isn't some pep to the performance. Throughout Cavill's performance the lack of movement almost became a distraction. His hands almost never moved the entire time, Maybe his hands were moving out of frame, but we'll never know because almost never came into view. The focus shifted from the Word of the Day to whether or not Cavill's hands would come out of his pockets. It occurred only twice, for a second at the 0:20 mark and very briefly at the 1:32 mark, if you're wondering.

It was a good thing the Three Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf entered the scene or it would have been really lackluster. I believe Cavill focused a little too much on the fact that he was teaching kids a word. The explanation felt very dry like a page out of the dictionary.

There were also a few moments when Cavill was clearly anticipating the line that was about to be delivered. But this could be a result of acting with a puppet. There are a lot less cues to play off of, so that could have caused any actor to jump the gun with some of their reactions.

The very end when the puppets hugged Henry Cavill and forced physical interaction was the shining moment. In those last few seconds of the skit Cavill lost the stiffness that was holding the performance back. Had that ease and naturalness been there the whole time he probably would have gotten better than a C from the Sesame Street Critic. There were definitely parts where it really seemed like he felt awkward and unsure of himself almost.

It could be that Cavill was actually a little intimidated by the other professionals on set. Entertainment Weekly reported that after shooting Cavill told the puppeteers, "you guys are incredible . . . It’s really remarkable to watch you guys work. I have enormous respect for what you guys do.” Knowing that the puppeteers were down below the frame doing their thing and that Cavill was impressed by their work suggests that maybe he was paying a little too much attention to them instead of the puppets on screen.

I respect that Henry Cavill did the Word of the Day on Sesame Street. And I super respect his respect for the puppeteers. But sorry, Henry. Next time, pep it up a little bit, give it a little more movement and your Sesame Street performance will get an above average grade.

What Do You Think About Henry Cavill's Sesame Street Performance?

Were you more impressed with Henry Cavill's explanation of respect than the Sesame Street Critic? Or do you think Henry Cavill should stick to more serious roles? You be the critic!