Not Robert Pattinson, Henry Cavill was the first choice for Edward Cullen in Twilight

The Witcher actor talks about being the top preference in the teen fantasy film

Stephenie Meyer, the renowned author of The Twilight Saga had her eye set on Henry Cavill for the lead part of Edward Cullen before Robert Pattinson was finalised. However, the writer's wish could not be fulfilled due to age limitations. By the time the film's production was in the run, Cavill had already turned 24, therefore the actor was not befitting for the role of a high school student.

In July 2017, after Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to her novel, Meyer expressed her dismay at losing her first pick for Edward in a blog. She wrote, "The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward. Henry Cavill is now 24 years old. Let us have a moment of silence to mourn."

Recently, Cavill appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and disclosed that he had no idea about the movie, or the author's desire to have him play Edward's role. He said, "Not at all because I didn't know about the movie."

"I didn't know about them wanting to cast me and the internet wasn't quite the tool that it is now and so I only found out afterwards. I was like, 'Oh okay, that would have been cool,'" He added.

Cavill may have missed his chance to appear in The Twilight Saga, but he moved on to bag roles in multiple high-grossing movies and series such as the DC Universe's Superman, The Witcher, and even Mission Impossible - Fallout.

Prior to this, Cavill lamented about losing major roles at The Graham Norton Show. He highlighted how the "acting industry" promotes a rat race for performers, and urged other actors to not feel inadequate after losing major roles.

He said, "Essentially, I got close to a bunch of stuff and didn't get it, but it's funny that people think that's a poor thing. In Hollywood — or the acting industry — everyone's trying to get a role and they're not necessarily getting them. And so, to get an opportunity to be in the limelight by missing out on the big roles is not such a bad thing. And I count my lucky stars for each one of those."

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