Man of Steel star Henry Cavill stole the show at day two of Royal Ascot on 17 June — or, more specifically, the internet decided his outfit was not the main attraction.
The British actor, 43, appeared at the horse-racing event looking suitably dapper in a top hat and tails, accessorised with an umbrella and a flashy watch.
It was that watch which initially drew attention online.
Instagram account Italian Watch Spotter shared a video of Cavill focused on his timepiece, which it identified as a 1926 Longines with a monopusher chronograph.
However, many viewers were not especially focused on the watch.
The clip included a zoomed-in shot of Cavill’s lower half, and social media quickly became far more interested in his noticeably prominent bulge.
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The video soon went viral, with fans flooding the comments.
“I spy with my little eye,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Girl nobody looking at that bracelet.”
“You saw it, I saw it, we all saw it,” someone else commented, while another joked: “Alright cameraman… I see what you did.”
“Aren’t the stallions meant to be in the stables?”
Even Drag Race star Phoenix joined in, writing: “Um, does anyone know if the cameraman has Venmo ’cause he deserves a donation.”
Others leaned into the watch theme, with one user joking: “I checked the time and it’s more like 6ish.”
Another commented: “It’s 6:30.”
One fan summed up the Royal Ascot setting with the line: “Aren’t the stallions meant to be in the stables?”
Cavill’s appearance at Royal Ascot comes after the release of his latest film, In The Grey, which arrived with little fanfare despite some critics noting that Cavill appeared to be playing gay alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
The film was released on 15 May and made around $3 million at the box office during its opening weekend.
With minimal promotion before release, many viewers could be forgiven for not having heard of it.
At present, In The Grey holds a 49% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes from 59 reviews, alongside a more favourable 83% Popcornmeter rating from user-submitted reviews.
Still, if Royal Ascot proved anything, it is that Cavill does not need a blockbuster premiere to get the internet talking.
