On the surface, with her thick-rimmed glasses, disheveled dress sense, and shy nature, Natalie Viscuso is a world away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.
But the 34-year-old American is, in fact, a former teen reality star, movie exclusive and model who is dating Superman, and could be kryptonite for his career following a blackface controversy.
British actor Henry Cavill, who played the DC superhero for a decade, has been dating Natalie for three years and the couple keeps a relatively low profile.
In fact, aside from rare public photos, including last Sunday leaving a London hotel, the only glimpse fans have of their relationship is on social media playing board games or praising their pets, apart from the occasional appearance on the red carpet.
However, Cavill, 40, seems smitten with his partner, leading some fans to speculate whether she could become Mrs. Cavill.
A film source said: ‘Henry and Natalie have a close bond and are very supportive and protective of each other.
Henry Cavill made a rare appearance with his Hollywood executive girlfriend Natalie Viscuso when the pair were spotted leaving a hotel in central London on Sunday morning.
Henry Cavill and Natalie Viscuso pictured at the UK premiere of the third season of The Witcher in June last year.
There were calls for Cavill to be removed from The Witcher due to his association with Viscuso, who sparked fury in 2021 when blacked-out photos from the 2008 Namibia trip resurfaced online.
“Some of Natalie’s previous antics have threatened to derail her career, but that is now a thing of the past and they are looking forward to a bright future, on and off camera, together.”
Since making his acting breakthrough in the BBC series The Tudors, Cavill has become one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood.
He is permanently linked to the work of James Bond, landing the iconic role of Superman in four films, as well as the lead role in the Netflix hit, The Witcher.
But in an era where clean reputations are key to longevity in Tinsel Town, Cavill would not have welcomed Viscuso’s past controversies coming to light during their first year of dating.
In 2021, his partnership with Netflix came under threat after Viscuso became embroiled in a ‘cultural appropriation’ dispute when images emerged of his sporting blackface at a modeling shoot in 2008.
As a result, angry fans wanted the streamer to fire Cavill, forcing Viscuso to publicly apologize in an attempt to draw a line under the saga.
The photographs showed her dressed in East African tribal attire and her skin dyed from the neck down with what appears to be Otjize, a pigment – made from milk fat and ocher – used by Namibia’s Himba community to protect themselves from the harsh climate. .
They were taken while she was appearing on a 2008 MTV reality show, where she spent time with an African tribe in Namibia who dressed her in native clothing as part of an initiation ceremony.
The Superman actor, 40, was glowing as he stepped out into the sunshine holding hands with Natalie, 34, on Sunday.
In 2022, the two went red carpet official and attended their first event together: the premiere of Enola Holmes 2 in New York City (pictured).
The Superman actor confirmed he was dating Natalie in April 2021 on social media with an adorable chess photo and caption.
Viscuso said: ‘Firstly, I would like to say that I am sorry if this image that has appeared has caused any offence. It is a photo from 2008 for a television program in Namibia.
‘The tribe I lived with painted my skin as part of an initiation and acceptance ceremony into their culture.
‘Never in a million years did I think this would be offensive; In fact, I felt honored to be initiated.
‘However, with the lessons we are all learning in the current climate, it is important to recognize that this is potentially harmful. My deepest and most sincere apologies.’
Viscuso’s career in reality television began with the MTV series Super Sweet 16, which documented the glamorous lives of young, super-rich teenagers living off their parents’ wealth.
Her father is billionaire nightclub magnate Michael Viscuso and she lived with him and her future stepmother, Melissa, in California, where her $450,000 16th birthday party was filmed as part of the show.
Speaking in the 2015 episode, which also saw Viscuso driving his father’s Ferraris and Bentleys and showing off his wardrobe full of clothes from the brands Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton, he says: “Money is really not an object for me”. I’m really spoiled.
Natalie is the former vice president of television for Vertigo Entertainment, but had a brief taste of life in front of the camera as a teenager on the MTV hit My Super Sweet 16 (pictured in January).
Natalie Viscuso found fame on MTV’s Super Sweet 16
“Sometimes I feel guilty about it, but I deserve everything I have because I have always been the good girl, never the rich girl.”
Despite his goofy nature on the teen show, he graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts with a bachelor’s degree in 2011, where he also participated in extracurricular activities and received academic honors, before going on to work on scripted television. departments of the Weinstein Company and ITV Studios.
In 2013 she became vice president of digital and television studios at Legendary Entertainment, the firm that produced Cavill’s films Man of Steel (2013), where they are believed to have met, and Enola Holmes (2020).
Viscuso is currently vice president of Vertigo Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based production company behind Prime Video’s Them: Covenant.
Writing on Instagram shortly after news of her position broke, she said: “Genre storytelling has been at the heart of who I am since I was a child.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to translate that passion into a career and to have done so with some of the best in the business.”
Despite keeping most of their relationship private, they have occasionally shared sweet moments playing chess, walking their dogs, or cooking together.
Natalie and Henry shared a French bulldog named Meat, but he sadly passed away in April 2022.
Her relationship with Cavill rose to fame in April 2021 after the couple was photographed taking a walk in London.
A few days later, the couple confirmed their romance on Instagram, and both shared a photo of themselves playing a game of chess.
Cavill captioned the post: “This is me looking calmly confident shortly before my beautiful, brilliant love Natalie destroys me at chess.
Viscuso wrote: “I’m just teaching my dear Henry how to play chess… or… maybe he let me win?”
The pair made their red carpet debut in October 2022 at the New York premiere of Henry’s Enola Holmes 2, two months before announcing their first film collaboration, a live-action adaptation of the tabletop miniatures game Warhammer, which will be is currently in production.