Sir Patrick Stewart and Henry Cavill discuss their iconic roles in Star Trek and Superman, actor to actor

Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard and Henry Cavill as Superman

Sir Patrick Stewart and fellow actor Henry Cavill shared the screen together this week in Variety’s Actors on Actors series featuring intimate conversations with prominent actors. The two men spoke at length on being known for playing specific roles such as DC’s Superman for Cavill, and Stewart’s time as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise.

Landing a role which audiences will enjoy (and remember) is a dream for many actors. In their conversation, Stewart talked about Star Trek: The Next Generation and the effect his role would have in his everyday life. “During the seven years that we filmed Next Generation and the four feature films that followed it,” Stewart said, “Picard came closer and closer and closer to me, to Patrick. After a while, there was no place that I could identify where Jean-Luc left off and Patrick Stewart began.”

The role of Jean-Luc Picard has been part of Patrick Stewart’s life for 33 years. In that time, Stewart himself has changed and when the opportunity came to bring Picard back to the screen, he wanted to be sure that his character had changed as well. In the Variety piece, Stewart shared a moment he’d had with the Star Trek: Picard producers, where he’d reflected on his experience filming Logan with actor Hugh Jackman. “It was thrilling for both of us, because we were continually being challenged,'' Stewart told the producers, sharing with Cavill that he wanted to show the anger and guilt that he believed the character of Picard would have developed over the years.

The smallest act can sometimes leave the biggest impression on those around us. During their exchange, Cavill took a moment to share the story of the time he and Stewart first met. In 2003, Cavill auditioned for the made-for-TV film adaptation of The Lion in Winter. “I was incredibly nervous to audition in front of an actor of your caliber,” he said to Stewart of the meeting. “I’d whipped myself into such a frenzy that I completely flubbed the audition.” Cavill went on to explain that on the day, he managed to try again, and while his second attempt still didn’t win him the part, it was an improvement. However, Cavill recalled, Stewart encouraged him, saying, “I’m so glad that you came back”. “And that gave me such strength throughout my career,” Cavill said, “and I’ve never forgotten it.”

You can watch the full hour-long, rather heart-warming, conversation between Stewart and Cavill at Variety.com.