Henry Cavill’s TV career has majorly been defined by his headlining of Netflix’s fantasy show “The Witcher,” yet his role on the period drama “The Tudors” stands out as one of his first endeavors on the small screen. Chronicling the reign of King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) in 16th-century England, “The Tudors” aired four seasons from 2007 to 2010 on Showtime. In every episode, Cavill appears as Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk.
A trusted ally of Henry, Charles has a compelling relationship with the king throughout “The Tudors.” Even though Charles angers Henry when he marries his sister, Princess Margaret (Gabrielle Anwar), behind his back, the two prove to be on each other’s side in the long run.
Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, “The Tudors” was a hit among general audiences, reaching an 83% score on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter and frequently coming up in discussions about the best shows in which royalty takes center stage.
Henry Cavill enjoyed working on The Tudors
Henry Cavill’s prominent role on “The Tudors” remains his breakthrough performance in Hollywood. The series came before he first donned Superman’s iconic red cape in 2013’s “Man of Steel” and showed off his action star capabilities as August Walker in 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” Aside from “The Witcher,” Cavill hasn’t appeared in any TV shows since “The Tudors,” but he still appreciates his time on the Showtime period drama.
In a 2021 interview with GQ, Cavill shared his praise for “The Tudors” creator Michael Hirst — whom the actor credits with making Charles Brandon a compelling character. Having also created the popular historical fiction series “Vikings,” Hirst has a knack for delivering in-depth explorations of real people and events from long ago. “It’s really hard to find material on Charles Brandon,” Cavill said. “… So [Hirst] took what little he had, what little he could find in history, and really expanded upon it. It was such a pleasure having him write that character because it was almost like he was bringing the character to life.”
Cavill’s high-profile return to TV as Geralt of Rivia didn’t last as long as most anticipated, as Cavill abruptly exited “The Witcher” after Season 3. But those who seek a glimpse of where it all began for Cavill can currently stream “The Tudors” on Paramount+.
