Monte Cristo: Did you know this young actor in the American adaptation of Dumas?

While The Count of Monte Cristo continues to climb with more than 4 million theatrical releases, let’s recall another adaptation of a Dumas novel that went relatively unnoticed in France with fewer than 33,000 admissions and Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce.

did you know him

The film, called The Vengeance of Monte Cristo, was released in theaters in April 2002, at a time when one of its actors was not yet the star that he is today. It’s also the reason few viewers remember seeing him there, and even fewer remember the role he played: it’s a very young Henry Cavill.

Aged 19 at the time, he portrayed Albert Mondego, the son of Fernand Mondego (Pierce) and Mercedes Inguanada (Dagmara Dominczyk). He is therefore the equivalent of Albert de Morcerf in the original work. In this version, Albert is actually Mercedes’ son with Edmond Dante, born while the latter was in prison. Fernando Mondego does not know that he is not the biological father.

Relatively unknown here, The Revenge of Monte Cristo was a huge success in the United States and was generally well received by American critics. However, the adaptation is very clear. Condensing a book of several hundred pages to only 2 hours, the film presents the full revenge of Dantes and removes many characters, including the main plot. But the show is there.

Henry Cavill debut

At the time, it was only the second feature film for Henry Cavill, who became particularly notable five years later thanks to his role as Charles Brandon in the TV series The Tudors, in which he played Henry’s friend from 2007 to 2010. VIII and the secret husband of Mary Tudor, widow of Louis XII.

After rising to stardom as Clark Kent in Man of Steel and other films in the DC universe, Henry Cavill will soon be the star of the Highlander reboot, and this Thursday Prime Video Guy’s Ministry of Dirty War Ritchie stars him.