How Natalie Viscuso, from MTV’s Super Sweet 16, caught Henry Cavill’s attention and faced a ‘black face’ controversy that risked his Netflix career

Henry Cavill recently welcomed his first child with his Hollywood executive girlfriend Natalie Viscuso. 

However, despite being in a relationship with the famous Superman actor at the age of 34, the producer herself is no stranger to fame, having debuted on TV in MTV’s My Super Sweet 16.

The pair was seen walking on the Gold Coast in Queensland, with Natalie pushing a baby stroller and wearing a large diamond ring.

The exact timing of when the 41-year-old English actor and his partner welcomed their new child is unknown, as the couple, known for their privacy, have not yet confirmed the birth of their baby or their reported engagement.

But the romance almost proved detrimental to the actor’s career after images of Natalie in ‘black face’ while on holiday in Namibia emerged – and a petition was started to remove Henry from Netflix’s The Witcher. 

So who is the entertainment VP who has captured Henry’s heart? MailOnline takes a look at how Natalie went from humble beginnings to a controversial life in the spotlight – before she bagged the British hunk.

Henry Cavill recently welcomed his first child with his Hollywood executive girlfriend Natalie Viscuso – but although the producer, 34, is dating the icon that is Superman, she herself is no stranger to the spotlight (Pictured together in January 2024)

It is unclear when the English British actor, 41, and his love welcomed their new baby, as the notoriously private pair have yet to announce its birth or their apparent engagement (Pictured in April)

Natalie works behind the scenes in the movie industry and she is believed to have met Henry when the pair crossed paths for work.

Their friendship blossomed into romance during the COVID-19 pandemic and they made their relationship Instagram official in 2021 with a snap of them playing chess.

Natalie and Henry went on to make their red carpet debut at the premiere of Enola Holmes 2 in 2022.

In April of last year, Henry revealed that he was ‘very excited’ to be expecting his first child with Natalie, admitting that he couldn’t wait to become a dad for the first time.

Sharing a rare pregnancy snap later that year, Natalie wrote: ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure carrying this child…as well as finally having an excuse for my silhouette to resemble my cinematic hero.’

However the pair’s relationship nearly derailed Henry’s Hollywood rise in 2021, after pictures of Natalie in ‘black face’ from a 2008 Namibia trip resurfaced online. 

The row the images caused was so fevered that there had been calls for Netflix to drop Henry from his part in hit show The Witcher because of his association with her. 

The pictures showed Natalie dressed in east African tribal attire and her skin coloured from the neck down in what appears to be Otjize, a pigment – made out of butterfat and ochre – used by the Himba community of Namibia to protect themselves from harsh climate.

Natalie made her TV debut in MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 when she threw a lavish birthday bash

Natalie and Henry’s friendship blossomed into romance during the COVID-19 pandemic and they made their relationship Instagram official in 2021 with a snap of them playing chess (pictured)

Natalie and Henry went on to make their red carpet debut at the premiere of Enola Holmes 2 in 2022 (pictured)

In April of last year, Henry revealed that he was ‘very excited’ to be expecting his first child with Natalie , admitting that he couldn’t wait to become a dad for the first time

Sharing a rare pregnancy snap later that year, Natalie wrote: ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure carrying this child…as well as finally having an excuse for my silhouette to resemble my cinematic hero

They were taken when she was appearing in 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. 

After a petition calling for Henry’s Netflix sacking was started as a result of the scandal, Natalie told MailOnline: ‘Firstly, I’d like to say that I’m sorry if this image surfacing has caused any offense. It is a photo from 2008 for a TV show in Namibia. 

‘The tribe I was living with painted my skin as part of an initiation ceremony and an acceptance into their culture. Never in a million years did I think that this would be offensive, in fact, I felt honored that they would initiate me.

‘However, with the lessons that we are all learning in today’s climate, it is important that I recognize that this is potentially hurtful. My deepest and most sincere apologies.’ 

The couple are temporarily living in Australia as he is busy Down Under while working on an Amazon live-action of animated series Voltron.

Natalie is no stranger to the glitz and glamour with her own career in the entertainment industry herself – as vice president at Vertigo Entertainment, an LA-based production company. Vertigo is known for its iconic horror films including The Grudge and The Ring. 

And decades before her romance with Henry was revealed to the world, Natalie earned fame for a very different reason, by welcoming MTV’s cameras into her incredibly expensive and over-the-top sixteenth birthday party where she hosted 1,000 guests. 

Natalie’s father Michael is a former nightclub mogul, which led to her appearance on the TV series that later became a global hit. 

‘Money really is not an object to me. I’m really spoiled,’ she said in the episode. ‘Sometimes I feel guilty for that, but I deserve everything that I have because I’ve always been just the nice girl, never the rich girl.’ 

However the pair’s relationship nearly derailed Henry’s Hollywood rise in 2021, after pictures of Natalie in ‘black face’ from a 2008 Namibia trip resurfaced online.

The couple are temporarily living in Australia as he is busy Down Under while working on an Amazon live-action of animated series Voltron (Pictured in 2022)

Natalie is no stranger to the glitz and glamour with her own career in the entertainment industry herself – as vice president at Vertigo Entertainment, an LA-based production company

In the episode, which aired during the first season of the show, Natalie lived in a $5 million house in La Jolla, California, and drove her dad’s Bentleys and Ferraris. 

The opening clips show her flaunting her designer handbags and dining in expensive restaurants, before she reveals just how different her life was before her father brought her to live with him. 

‘I came from the nothingness of Roswell, New Mexico,’ she explains. ‘I lived with my aunt and uncle. Life was difficult. The whole town is only 20 miles long. 

‘You can cruise around for about 10 minutes and you’ve basically seen a Dairy Queen and a Walmart. Roswell is just… kind of lame.’ 

She continued: ‘When I lived in Roswell, there were a lot of people who were basically jealous of me and didn’t like me because I kind of stand out as being prettier than a lot of people.’ 

But Natalie’s life was transformed when her father, nightclub owner Mike Viscuso, brought her out to California to live with him. 

At age 15, she moved to live with her dad and stepmom-to-be, Melissa, in their $5 million house Southern California home, where she had a closet packed with Gucci, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. 

‘My father always wanted me to live with him but he knew he couldn’t do it alone,’ she said, noting that his fiancé, Melissa, was responsible for getting her out to California. 

‘She basically rescued me from there,’ she said, adding: ‘This is just where I belong. We’re above high class now. We’re at the top.’

She planned her party at one of her dad’s five nightclubs and printed up 1,000 invitations to hand out to cool sophomores, junior, and seniors — but noted that there would be no freshman, and no ‘losers’ allowed. 

And decades before her romance with Henry was revealed to the world, Natalie earned fame for a very different reason, by welcoming MTV’s cameras into her incredibly expensive and over-the-top sixteenth birthday party

Natalie’s father Michael is a former nightclub mogul, which led to her appearance on the TV series that later became a global hit

The opening clips show her flaunting her designer handbags and dining in expensive restaurants, before she reveals just how different her life was before her father brought her to live with him

Natalie ended up picking out a tight white one-of-a-kind dress by Paris Hilton-loved designer Nurielle for $900 to wear to her lavish bash. 

On the day of the party, she and a few friends arrived to the packed nightclub in a Hummer limo, making a grand entrance to a cheering crowd.

The party had food, a chocolate fountain, mocktails, a temporarily tattoo artist, an oxygen bar, and even gogo dancers in underwear.

Natalie’s dad also appointed a bodyguard to follow her around all night, intervening if anyone was pushy or if a guy got too handsy. 

All in all, Natalie said that the party cost at least $450,000.

MTV later reported that Natalie had moved to Austin, Texas for her senior year of high school, where she played soccer.

The teen also revealed that she had been talking to Aaron Carter, who reached out to her after seeing her on the show.

‘He’s a nice guy,’ she said, but added: ‘Who wants to be a relationship during their senior year?!’

She also received a Audi A4 Turbo from her dad in high school. In 2021, the same car has an MSRP of $46,365. 

She said she planned to attend USC — which she did, graduating in 2011 — and wanted to work with her dad in his nightclub business.