I'm training two-and-a-half hours a day, pushing my body beyond its normal limits, putting on a lot of muscle mass and just making myself look like Superman.

Playing an icon [superman], you don't try to be an icon because that defeats the purpose. The responsibility attached is enormous, and the realization that it actually really, really matters meant that I wanted to put the most amount of work into representing the character properly.

My mother and father have also raised five boys so they know there's only so much that can be controlled.

With Superman, there are certain limitations for an actor. You can't go past certain boundaries because then you cease to be what the character is.

I'm loyal to a fault. I may have learned that from my mother.

I'll never accept that I'm a sex symbol. That will mean that someone is a bit too fond of himself. If it happens, I think it's certainly going to be odd. People shouldn't see me as a sex symbol. I'm really just Henry. I'm just telling a story. I could be playing an incredibly unpleasant character who's not sexually attractive at all in my next movie. So I've no expectations at all.

I remember going, "I'm really excited about this - I really want it to happen. It would be a wonderful opportunity." But if something doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. My mother and father sort of raised me to look at things that way.