When Henry Cavill injured his hamstring while filming The Witcher, his legendary fitness regime came to a halt. For many, an injury of this magnitude can be devastating, not only physically but mentally. However, the Justice League star saw his injury not as a setback but as an opportunity to harness his mental fortitude and focus on healing.

“When I look back, I realize, yes, it was a hard time,” Cavill recalls. “I think one of the skills I’ve picked up over the years is just forging ahead regardless of difficulty or hard work or trials and tribulations. So when the hamstring injury came, I tried to look at the silver lining.”

Instead of dwelling on his inability to continue working at the same pace, Cavill chose to see the injury as a much-needed break from the “insane hours” he had been pulling on set. With his body unable to perform its usual intense physical feats, Cavill shifted his focus to mental recovery and strategic healing.

“It was like, ‘Ok. I was working insane hours and it was exhausting, and I now physically can’t work because I’m on crutches,’” he shares. “So I was focusing more on taking the time off and going, how can I best heal myself?”

This mindset—choosing to focus on what can be controlled—is at the core of Cavill’s approach to challenges. The actor admits that his mental health plays a significant role in how he faces adversity. Rather than viewing his injury as something to be “dealt with,” Cavill reframed it as an opportunity to improve.

“When it comes to my mental health, I focus on what I can control and work on that. And that gives me something to work towards rather than something to deal with or work through or manage my life through,” Cavill explains.

By shifting his focus from what he couldn’t do to what he could control, Cavill turned a potentially crippling injury into a period of growth, both mentally and physically. His mindset allowed him to not only recover from the hamstring injury but return to The Witcher and his other roles with renewed vigor.

Cavill’s story is a powerful reminder that while injuries may temporarily derail our physical capabilities, they don’t have to derail our spirit. By focusing on healing, both mentally and physically, Cavill exemplifies the importance of resilience and maintaining an unstoppable mindset. For him, setbacks are just another opportunity to come back stronger.