Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butleris a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. After studying law, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as Mrs Brown, the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and Tale of the Mummy. In 2000, he starred as Dracula in the horror film Dracula 2000 with Christopher Plummer and Jonny Lee Miller. The following year, he played Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth13 November 1969
CityPaisley, Scotland
If you abandoned yourself to that world and that character and that period surrounded by extras in the same period clothing and costumes and listening to that music all the time, you give in and you let that music become a part of your soul. Then you can live it and breathe it, which is really what I was trying to do.
Angelina had wanted a stronger male character to play opposite her, and I think one of the other advantages in that was a sense of competition.
One thing I've learned as an actor as well as a producer is to trust my own instinct. When I first started acting I would sometimes have ideas about certain things, whether it's a scene, or a character or certain dialogue, that wouldn't be followed. I was never in a position to have the power to press the matter. Sometimes it wasn't even about my character. But I'd watch the movie afterwards and think I was right.
I always find stuff in my characters to relate to.
By that point, I had started taking singing lessons. And after the first session, I mean, I was surprised that the windows didn't shatter. And after the third session, I really didn't know where this voice had come from.
Angelina came up, and as soon as we said hello, I thought, This is going to be great. I'm really going to love doing this with her. And I did. And then I was very excited to do the movie after that.
I love to spend a lot of time on my own. I can seriously go into my own head and often love to let myself travel where I don't know where I'm going.
I wear a lot of Brioni and Ferragamo and Dolce, all of those kind of things.
So many actors get caught up in their technique, and to be honest, I see it really getting in the way. I see them forcing things. I definitely do my best work when I'm free of that. But I think as an actor, I work really hard in preparing the roles.
I remember when 'Grease' came out, I used to force my mum to try and grease my hair back, and it was never long enough, and literally I'd be screaming at her, 'Do it. Just do it!'.
I love doing the stunts. It's as simple as that.
In Scotland, I'm just like a lot of other guys, but in America, I'm seen as a very strong, masculine guy.
It's always more interesting to make a movie about what is relevant in your society. What's the political global backdrop? What are our threats? What are we vulnerable to? Because that's what an audience vibes on - that is what people are interested in, universally.
To me, it's always good to retain a sense of wonder and never good too big for life, like you've seen it all before.