Post by elenoire on Mar 18, 2013 16:31:15 GMT -5
Gerry is doing Q&A today on Reddit... with Ricky Jones, U.S. counterterrorism specialist on OHF
www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ajkso/i_am_gerard_butler_amaa/
here are the answers...
Hi Reddit - Gerard Butler here of '300' and the upcoming 'Olympus Has Fallen'. I'm here along with Ricky Jones (U.S. counterterrorism specialist) to answer your questions for the next 2 hours so go ahead - AMAA! Cheers.
PROOF:
Awesome! I'll have questions relating to this more than about Mr. Butler's career, since that's what everyone else is focusing on.
1. What are the most and least realistic scenes in Olympus has Fallen?
2. Did you have to consult with the Secret Service on what protection actually exists?
3. Were you required to change anything in the movie for security purposes?
4. Did the writers have to dream up what protection is available to the President?
5. Was there any real-life events that inspired that tactics either for the Secret Service or the attackers?
RICKY: The most realistic scene - or character to me - is Gerard Butler's character. He took on the character, the courage, and the heart of what every Secret Service agent has - and he really honored the Secret Service with his acting ability.
2) No - I know what already exists. Mr Fuqua had one Secret Service agent - and I think Gerry worked with him as well - to work with those guys who are still active today.
3) There were more things that we couldn't tell in the first place - so we couldn't reveal anything that was classified. It is the White House, and it is where the President lives, so we are not going to reveal anything that is classified, top secret, or would jeapordize the White House.
GB: Ricky was on set with us every second of every day - advising and encouraging - and we used a LOT of his ideas, and trying to make Banning's journey through the White House more informed, fascinating - he brought up the idea of psychological counterterrorism - the cat & mouse game with the villain - which is something we always wanted to bring in, different tech we could bring into the movie - what are the strategy and tactics used by the Secret Service - and firstly, arming yourself, assessing enemy capabilities, what's the purpose, establishing outside lines of contact with the crisis room, and starting to neutralize the threat. But what Ricky said before really made me think - when he started to talk about the heart that I brought to Banning - because that's what I got, especially from Ricky - because you can learn all the information, and the expertise that they may have, but at the end of the day, when you're talking to someone who has lived this and engaged the enemy, even been wounded by the enemy, is what you see in their eyes and in their soul when they talk about the performance of their duty. And that's what I took into Banning's character, was this incredible courage and commitment and this kind of protection of the president & the people of this country - how those ideals seem to pump through their blood. And that when they talk about the enemy- those who would hurt them, or those they protect, or innocent people, that you could see this gleam, this danger in their eye. And that, to me, is the crux of this movie, because when this happens, this attack, it's so appalling and horrific and shocking, that we need - the audience - needs satisfaction and payback. And if I can go as far in saying that in situations when this happens, there's a certain amount of emotional satisfaction that they get from essentially kicking the bad guys' ass. Because this is really good against evil.
4) Ricky again - Rothenberger and Benedict, they're historians and they did a lot of research on this when they wrote the script. They did a lot of research on what was available to the Secret Service - there is very little out there, but there are photos, there's the oath that they take to the Constitution, and they got those things right in the script.
GB: But there's also specific things that people do - like how they look - that can't be written in the script - how they move, and those would be things I would go to Ricky for. Like how do I turn this corner, or how do I relate to my men, what's the attitude, what's the posture - even the camaraderie - those are things you don't necessarily get in the script - you could either always ask those more specific questions that helped put the meat on the bones of the script, and that an audience can relate to and engage with, to Ricky. And that's the value of having an expert there. Or just to tell you that what you're doing is working. Encouragement, which is always a good thing. because it's a big responsibility to try to play a Secret Service agent and being convincing.
5) No - this is a work of fiction. Some of the things we created in the attack on the White House were things that I have dealt with in the past, but on foreign soil.
GB: Some of the genius of the movie is the simplicity of the plan. In 9/11, they used boxcutters and changed the world.
RICKY: They used our own aircraft as missiles.
Thanks for doing an AMA! That said, I have two questions for you:
• How did you prepare to take on the role of King Leonidas in 300? (i.e. What was your diet and workout routine like?)
• How was your experience working with Morgan Freeman in the upcoming movie Olympus Has Fallen?
GB:1) For King Leonidas - my preparation was the most preparation I've ever put into any role because i promised the head of Warner Brothers that if I did this movie, I would make him so proud and make the character - Leonidas - look good and be the most badass character. So from there it was four months of training, sometimes 6 months a day, with doing the '300' workout but also with my own bodybuilder and then 2 hours a day with the stunt guys learning very specifically those fight techniques and the choreography of the fight sequences. And then the diet - I could go on for hours, but let's just it was a nightmare. It was high protein, healthy fats like avocado, low carbs. Brown rice, cupcakes (just kidding), a lot of vegetables, way too much chicken and tuna, protein shakes until they were pouring out my ears.
2) My experience - the day Morgan said yes to the role was a great day for all of us. The day he turned up on set, there was such an electricity in the atmosphere, everybody was so excited that God had come upon us. He was so charming and easy and never asked for anything, was always happy and nice to people - and then would just turn on his character and gave this fantastic, human, powerful yet vulnerable performance that I think people are going to love in the movie.
Have there been any roles that you have turned down which you regret?
GB: Yes, there have been a couple, but I'm not going to say which, because that only gets you into hot water
How often do people scream lines from 300 at you?
GB:Probably once a day. I actually don't mind it - I don't like it if I'm in a place with a lot of people around like an airport - then they scream the line and you're stuck in line with a thousand people staring at you. But to be honest, I love that people feel so passionate about it. That, to me - the best thing as an actor is to do a role that people don't forget and they get excited about and they want to shout that excitement out to you when they see you.
What song do you sing in the shower?
GB:"Lovely Day" by Bill Withers
What did you take away on a visceral/personal level from your experience surfing at Mavericks?
GB:You know, when I started surfing, I suddenly felt being out in the water or just contemplating things, it opened up a whole new world to me. Then when I got out to Mavericks, that world was blown apart and it opened up a whole new universe. It was one of the most exciting, scary, inspiring things I ever did, being around that danger and that power, surrounded by guys who very quickly became heroes of mine - the best surfers in the world.
Long time fan. Love your work. Here's my question, which character would you say you had the most and least in common with? If you weren't an actor, what do you think you would be doing?
GB:I probably had the most in common with with either Mike in THE UGLY TRUTH or (and I don't mean on the same level) with Leonidas, in terms of the passion and determination that I use in my life. And Leonidas also because of the values that he had, that I've always aspired to - not that I have them, but I always have aspired to them, and I had a mythical understanding of what those values were -so when I was playing him, I felt like I was channeling him. I would meditate, and it was my mandate in the movie that I had to do him proud, and tell his story in such a way that it would live on forever.
And in a way for this movie, I tried to do the same - spending time with Ricky, that you see that these guys are the un-sung heroes of America - and then you take that as a motivating factor, and you think "I want to do justice to their story, to what they do, not just in the performance of their duties, but to their training and the preparation that they have to do to be able to perform at that level." And I really got that from Ricky, because you could see how proud and excited he was about the fact that people were telling the story of Secret Service agents and what they do for real - and I was surprised by how few (as Ricky would say, GOOD) stories have been told about the Secret Service.
RICKY: From my perspective, this movie is more about who you are because of the discipline - you get up at 4 AM to train, you are out there at 120 degrees, and you trained and trained, you got beat up by the stunt guys, and beat up you still showed up day after day. You came in bruised and beat up, and gave it your all. It was 122 with the heat index and humidity, they had to change his shirt 3 or 4 times to shoot the scene - everyone else was ready to pack up and quit, but you had that dedication and discipline to stay out there and shoot that scene. That's the kind of dedication the Secret Service has, and Gerry did that - so knowing you and knowing what the job is.
Ever said "P.S. I Love You" to anyone?
GB: Yes. In the movie. But a lot of people say it to me.
Hey, Mr. Butler, big Fan!How did you get your start in acting, and when? What started your interest in it?
GB:I was interested in it as a young kid - and it would come in spurts. It hit me hard at 10, at 15 i had a dream that i was in this fantasy film and I woke up and knew I had to be an actor; but then I went to law school, and went on a 7 year adventure down the wrong path. Fortunately I screwed that up and moved to London to follow my dreams and become an actor; essentially I blagged - talked - my way into an audition for a Shakespeare production and I got the role. And then my second audition was for TRAINSPOTTING: THE PLAY and i got the lead in that, which got me an agent, and took me into my first audition, which - thank God - I couldn't believe but i got that film too. That led straight to a manager in LA, and the rest is history (or not, depending on how you look at it!)
It seems like you didn't have a very positive attitude regarding your career as a lawyer...What made you change career paths?
GB:I always enjoyed the idea of studying as a lawyer and had a romantic notion of what it would be like to practice as a lawyer - but when reality hits you, and suddenly you're in the office trying to perform as a lawyer - I realized that this is not what I wanted to spend my life doing. I didn't want to find myself retiring and never having been brave enough to follow my dreams.
Retro question I know, but what made you decide to do Phantom all those years ago? Wonderful film by the way
GB:I was surprised to find out that they were even interested in me for that role. Joel Schumacker the director explained that he went to a Cinemaplex on a rainy day where there were 7 movies showing, and he'd seen the other six, so he decided he might as well see DRACULA: 2000 which was my first lead in a feature film in America.
He said that when I walked out, onscreen, as Dracula, and it was the first time he'd seen me, he thought "WOW I need to work with that guy." He called my agent and said "can Gerry sing? because i'm thinking about him as the Phantom." And my agent, who said "Yea, he can sing, but I don't know if he can sing that stuff." To which I said, "Thanks Jeremy, great job" but then I got the script and I read the script at the same time as listening to the music in my apartment with candles lit, and I ended up crying like a baby, and feeling every emotion possible. And I then went from doubting why they were interested to being absolutely desperate to play that role. And I then went for my first singing lesson with a professor at the Royal Academy of Music and Drama. And the rest is history!
How often do people ask you to yell "THIS IS _____" and kick something?
And Ricky, there haven't been many instances of acts of terror prevented or stopped I've heard about. Are there many instances that are stopped that we don't hear about? Or there haven't been many attempts in the last 12 years?
GB:Gerard here - I answered this before so letting Ricky take this one.
There have been several attempts against US facilities on foreign soil; we've had several attempts here on US soil that have been foiled as well by the intelligence agencies. For obvious reasons, you don't hear about it because it would glorify the bad guys as well as make it difficult for people to rest easy at night. The less known the better. But that said, there are people out there keeping us all safe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
GB adding: And it's what i got from Ricky when we were talking, was that the work the Secret Service does, that we don't hear about, was one of the most interesting things I learned when making this movie. And in this movie, we focus on a day where things went wrong - which would be considered a failure - but it also shows in every day when things went right, it's due to the work these men and women do in making sure that nothing happens - all their investigations, reconnaissance, essentially avoidance - and there are thousands of people dealing with that on a daily basis. And that's why people can ask questions like there are very few attacks on American soil - it's because of what the Secret Service does to make sure that it doesn't happen.
Ok, Gerard. Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses Or 1 Horse Sized duck. Hundreds of other celebrities have made the decision on a reddit AMA Choose wisely!
GB:I think I'd rather fight 100 duck-sized horses. Because I could trample them. Or they're so small, I could run faster than them. But if it's a horse-sized duck, then you're generally just screwed.
What kind of professions are there for fellow Spartans?
GB:I'd say that's actually a very interesting question - what I was amazed about was how that movie touched people in a very deep way, and had such a powerful, inspiring, motivating message that almost every football team, baseball team, basketball team, started using it and clips from the movie and mottoes from the movie -everywhere I went, I would run into professional sports players who would say that they found that movie tremendously inspiring before games. And the police, and the armed forces, I've come across 10 guys with tattoos of Leonidas on some part of their bodies. I just talked to the Marines at Camp Pendleton and got to perform my dream - which was to shout "Hawoo! Hawoo! Hawoo!" and have them all shout back. But also corporations used it, any kind of team that requires unity and motivation - so finally, to answer that, I think it's not so much about what professions there are for Spartans, but it's about bringing the Spartan values to any profession that you do.
Thank you for doing this, big fan! Who is your all-time favorite person to work with?Is Morgan Freeman's voice as captivating in person as it is in the movies?
It's MORE captivating in person (Morgan's voice, that is). When Morgan came up on set to say hello, I had met him once before but had forgotten about how tall he was - and he's such a charismatic, captivating presence. And he walks up, and he's right in your face with a big smile, and a warm hello, and a strong handshake, and you know he's arrived. And that's why he creates such electricity on set.
My favorite actor to work with? Tough question because I have been very blessed in how many great actors I've worked with - in fact I'm sick of making movies that say Oscar Winner Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler, or Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie and Gerard Butler, or Oscar Winner Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler... one day they'll say winner of the High School Karaoke competition Gerard Butler.
No I did win a few Karaoke competitions but not in High school. I won some raffles in High School though. But I'm just trying to make myself sound better than I am.
Hi Gerard, Olympus Has Fallen was Fantastic! You were brought over to meet my son and held him for pics!This is a HUGE thank you for coming to Camp Pendleton! A little boys dreams came true on Saturday, he met the Phantom! Thank you, thank you!
GB:I remember him well! He was so cute. And it was beautiful to see the big smile on his face when I picked him up, he was very happy, it was a lovely moment. Everybody who came, including Ricky, had a great day at Camp Pendleton and at the Navy base. It really felt like an honor to be brought in and accepted by them, and our whole team came - directors, cast, film distributors - basically everyone involved in the production showed up - and it was really exciting for everyone to see that and to see those on the tip of the spear, those who stand on the front line, who allow us to work as lawyers whether we want to or not, to just go grab a coffee and be able to pick up our children. I also greeted a couple of wounded warriors which was quite an emotional experience. It's important to point out as well - I was worried because this movie does involve a brutal attack that Marines would have an issue with it, but i decided to face my deepest fears, and if it wasn't going well, I would try to sneak out near the end and escape a stoning. But i couldn't believe how they embraced it and loved it - they applauded and cheered, and screamed, and laughed at all the jokes - because the movie has a lot of humor in it as well (if that's possible, but it really does). And they embraced it exactly as we hoped they would, to the point that I stayed til the end and even filmed with my camera phone. I just played it for a journalist on my little camera phone. I'm so glad I stayed, because it was one of the high points was seeing our true heroes accepting our movie.
GB:Ricky asked me a question! Because the feedback he is getting from the Secret Service guys is...
September 11 took 12 years to get finalization of Bin Ladin. This movie gives resolve, the American way. Immediately. And it makes people feel patriotic.
GB: I want to talk about that, because this is actually important. To echo what Ricky said, after September 11, all those who were involved in the attack were dead immediately - and every person on the free planet felt they needed to do something about it and there was nothing they could do. And in this movie, because the terrorists are still active and there is a standoff situation and a hostage crisis in the White House, there is something that can be done about it. And the attack that happens in this movie, which is so shocking, and brutal, and real, and unflinching, in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could do - it leaves you needing absolute satisfaction and justice - and as you would say - "the enemy has to be unseamed from the knave to the chops" as they say in MACBETH. And this is where the Secret Service step in - and what the result is, is a movie which is so involving, terrifying, but emotional and patriotic, and even I think "Maybe we got lucky that we managed to get all of that into this movie" because there are so many competing emotions. This movie appeals to both men and women evenly because it touches on values that are so deep within us because men and women have the same reaction as to what does the White House mean to them, what does the President's life mean to them, what does global security mean to them, and what the good men and women of this country who act in service means to them - and suddenly this movie transcended an action thriller and suddenly became something much more profound.
Favorite kind of sandwich?
GB:You probably don't know Branston Pickle. It hails from Yorkshire in England. And i LOVE to put that on a heated tuna sandwich with melted cheese.
RICKY: My favorite sandwich - my wife is from Norway and it's called "Brusheiva." It's one piece of bread, Norwegian cheese, and that's it.
Would you ever consider doing another musical ?
GB:I was just asked this earlier on and it got me thinking. I would love to do another musical at some point, but I don't see it happening in the next year or so. However when "300" came along, I swore I wouldn't do another "Sword & Sandals" epic so you never know - so you never know! one of the things I love about acting is that you never know what's around the corner.
If you were cast in the new Star Wars movies, what type of character would you want to be?
GB:Well, the originals were some of my favorite movies and in some ways, Harrison Ford played the best hero with attitude that it's possible to play. So it would have to be a Han Solo type character, because he gets to be the badass, the funny guy, the one with attitude, and he gets to kiss the girl at the end as well.
Gerard, what attracted you to the movie Olympus Has Fallen? Welcome to social media btw.
GB:Thank you, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.
When I first read the script, I immediately was fascinated by this kind of character - somebody in the Secret Service who has had a fall from grace, and taken away from the one thing they want to do in life - which is perform their duties, and everything they have trained for. Then, when I read the opening attack, I felt it was so ballsy and audacious, that if we could pull it off and make it real, it would be the most unforgettable experience - because it would touch such a nerve.
But more than that, having this fascinating insight into what goes on in the various arenas during a terrorist attack - from the crisis room to the bunker - I thought this was so gripping and the potential for great drama and suspense and edge-of-your-seat experience was huge.
How many of your own stunts do you get to do in a movie like 300 or Olympus or Gamer? Have there been times when the studio has said, "Woah, no way" when you were ready to jump through a window or something like that?
GB:Yea - I always do all my own stunts unless i am physically stopped by the insurance company. In this movie, I did all my own stunts except for one (and I picked up a lot of injuries along the way - I was hit the eye by a bullet casing - it felt like I'd been punched in the face, I was hit by flying dubris from explosions, my arm turned black from the wrist to the elbow and swelled right up, I lost a fingernail, I had a bruise the size of a melon on the back of my thigh, the fighting in this movie is very dynamic but brutal, which is what I wanted to do. We used various martial arts and sometimes just plain brutality - constantly improvising ways to eradicate / eliminate the terrorists) - the time I was stopped was in CHASING MAVERICKS was when I was actually chasing mavericks, and one week out there, I almost drowned.
RICKY: you had to use all those different ways because being the lone survivor in the White House, to rescue the President, if he shot they would track him down a way. So you used different silent methods to take out the enemy.
GB: We wanted to avoid a bunch of shoot outs in the White House, and fortunately it made tactical sense as well. When you are one man with 40 terrorists - even in my fight sequences, I'm trying to fight well-trained commandos in as silent a way as possible - which only heightens the excitement.
Mr.Butler,I just saw Gamer yesterday and i would like to know... how was it to kill Dexter Morgan with his weapon of choice?
GB:Firstly, let me point out that Dexter Morgan is an absolute genius. Love his show. But as an actor, he is just so fascinating to watch. But at the same time, in terms of the movie, I wanted nothing more than to see him dead. And the way that happened I thought was very interesting. And I took great satisfaction in seeing that knife slowly plunge into his chest.
Whats your favorite meal?
GB:Recently, my favorite meal has been thai - a good pad thai, or some thai noodle dish. I was just there in January, eating such great food that the taste has followed me back here.
Hi Gerard,huge fan of yours!!! I know you have a home in new York and your home is in Paisly Scotland (sound like a
) do you ever see yourself coming back home to Paisley to stay? And do you have an all time favourite band?? Keep up the amazing work you do Gerard,love every role of yours!Iv managed to get all the oldies at work to love you nearly as much as me,your a hot topic in our school staff room!xxx
GB:I could see myself coming back to Scotland, absolutely. Don't know if I could settle in Paisley, had a great time growing up there, but my heart lies in the Highlands where my folks live.
My all time favorite band is probably an icelandic band called Sigur Ros, because they play with emotion that is specific to that land, and that land reminds me very much of Scotland. It's ethereal and haunting.
Did your mom get to see all of your Happy Birthday wishes to her? Did she like Angela Bassett and all of the others singing Happy Birthday to her? That was super sweet!
GB:My mum turns 70 the day after Mother's Day, and I sent her 10 bouquets of flowers, and I recorded her HAPPY BIRTHDAY at the Kelly & Michael show with the whole audience, and I recorded a message with the crowd outside the Kelly & Michael show, and with Bridgit Mendler. And I recorded another message with me and all my team and people on the street, and with every new line, new people jumped up. And I THEN recorded another HAPPY BIRTHDAY at the Piers Morgan show with me, Antoine, and Angela Bassett. So i sent her FOUR HAPPY BIRTHDAY songs.
Gerry, loved your voice over in How to Train your Dragon! Would you be interested in doing more voice overs for animation in the future? Absolutely love you and your movies. It helps that you love footie too. x
GB:I love animated movies - a lot of my favorite movies have been animated movies - from IT'S A BUG'S LIFE to FINDING NEMO to WALL-E to THE INCREDIBLES. And actually, one of my favorites was HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. It was a really proud moment when I sat down to watch that movie and realized what those geniuses at Dreamworks did, in creating a whole new world and just a beautiful story that appealed to adults and children alike. It's nice for me to do a movie that I can actually show my nieces and children of my friends, rather than saying "look away now! cover your ears!" which is what usually happens in my most of my movies.
I'm currently working on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, and I'm really jazzed about it, because i was concerned how it could possibly live up to the first one - but I think we have a great story that is charming as well as dark and funny, and at the end of the day, inspiring.
What did you do to train for the singing aspects of the Phantom of the Opera?Who's someone you want to work with that you haven't had the chance to yet?Bonus- what's your favorite book?
Hope you have a good reddit experience!GB: Who would i love to work with that I haven't yet: i'd love to work with Daniel Day-Lewis, he's by far the best actor of our generation and I like to go into daunting situations and know that I would learn a lot.
And my favorite book is probably Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It's this wonderful journey of the soul, a magical and dangerous trip through India. I've traveled to India a couple of times, the last time I went was only 2 weeks after the attacks in Mumbai, and I met up with Gregory and spent 3 days on the back of his motorbike with his motorbike gang, taking me to all the places he talked about in the book.
Are you as awesome as I think you are? Also I love you.
RICKY: I can tell you he is. You see him in the film, and you think "he's great looking." and then when you see him in person, he's better looking, you see him training, he's stronger than a country horse, he takes every picture and signs every autograph, and he is dedicated to his job. He is pretty awesome.
when not working .what do you do to relax ?
GB:GB: Sometimes it is hard for me to relax, so I have to force myself to go to other places, which is why I love to travel. So this year, at the beginning of the year, I knew i had a lot of stuff coming up so I went to the Highlands of Scotland, and to Thailand, and to Columbia, and Switzerland, and I skied under Mont Blanc. I love to take trips that involve participation of the soul, where the people that you meet and the things you participate in touch you - so for instance, camping on top of a glacier in Iceland, setting up a tent at 1 o clock in the morning, listening to Sigur Ros while the Northern Lights dance over your head - that beats anything that I could ever do as a performer. These are moments that you take to the grave and beyond. And worth anybody pursuing.
RICKY: I like to listen to opera. I love spending time with my family, my daughter Victoria, my stepsons James and Frederik, and just sitting in the backyard looking at all the things my wife has planted, with a cool breeze.
Hi there! What is your favorite city in the world?
GB:Either New York or Rio. Both for very different reasons.
Hi gerard ... Will you do soccer aid again?... I saw you at old Trafford and you waved at me x
GB:Yea, I remember you well!
Soccer Aid was a phenomenal experience. It was like performing at a Rock Concert - yet being an amateur singer next to the three tenors, surrounded by some of the best players on the planet. It's incredible how much the adrenaline can push you towards a heart attack. I did think after 10 minutes, is this what it feels like when you are dying. But the experience was just tremendous and I'm so glad I did it, and yes I would like to do it again.
If you could play any superhero who would it be? Please say Wonder Woman
GB:Wonder Woman. No really, Wonder Woman. Although I think I'd like to create my own superhero.
to both gerard and ricky......tea or coffee?
GB:GB: Coffee.
Ricky: Tea. With a little milk.
GB: Tomato, Tomatoe.
Hey, Gerard! Thanks for doing this AMA! I really love all your films, but you were absolutely brilliant in Law Abiding Citizen! One of my Top 10 all-time-favorite flicks.
•What do you do to keep in shape when you're not taking on the role of a half-naked hulk of fury?
•What's your favorite American beer?
•Are you enough of a badass dude to do a "Survivorman" episode with Les Stroud? (Hey, if Will Ferrell can do "MAN vs. WILD", you ain't got a good excuse!)
GB:1) You know, I just try to do some general cardio, biking, hiking, running. Try to keep it interesting, or surfing or soccer, something that makes it more interesting than just going to the gym.
2) I don't drink, haven't drank for years, but when I was drinking... Miller.
3) Hell yea! I'd show him a thing or two. Is he enough of a badass one to do an episode with me? In Scotland? To touch on Will Ferrell, by the way, I just want to say - he was a dark horse at the soccer aid game. I played a game of Five Asides soccer with him a couple of weeks before the game in the Hollywood Hills, and he was REALLY Good. Really tough, really tenacious, and I thought he played fantastically well - and he really surprised everybody. Edward Norton, however, was another story.
I just want to say that "Machine Gun Preacher" absolutely tore my heart in two. Amazing film. (And I heard it's quite accurate as well)
GB:Thank you, thank you, thank you. That was one of my proudest moments, and yet my biggest disappointments because I think that movie was such a powerful story that had to be told and yet at the end of the day not many people saw it. It will always remain a bit of sadness in my career because I felt the story was so touching and everyone put so much into it, as did I. We received a 10 minute standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival, everybody was crying, everybody was pumped, and then the film wasn't really released properly.
RICKY: this movie is about one of the most horrific things taking place in the world today, and one man standing up against it, and the government just standing by and watching it.
What was your favorite scene/line to film in 300?
GB:My favorite scene was my dying scene, when I had to stand up and suddenly in that moment recall my wife and everything I stood for, and I say "My queen, my wife, my love" and I think of all my movies, that is the most powerful moment I ever had. In preparation for each take, I would scream at the ground, clench my fists, and scrape the ground, and cut all my knuckles and rip my nails... I would scream, and scrape, and scratch, and then I would stand and go "GO."
And they would film.
And it felt so visceral, and so powerful, and the next day, that was my last day of filming, the next day I was leaving Montreal and I went through US IMMIGRATION and the officer asked "what happened to your hands" and I said "I was just scratching the ground" and she took me for secondary questioning, and I missed my flight, and had to stay another day.
So the next day I wore gloves.
What was your favorite skit when hosting SNL?
GB:You know, I LOVED Beauty and the Beast - the idea that the beast doesn't realize that he's the beast, and thinks that he's the beauty and she's the beast. and if he was really to have his way, he'd rather have a woman with a big ass. And it was just a magical moment in the show, when I relaxed and was in it.
But I also loved "What's up with that," which has now become a regular feature on SNL and i did the first one. Which I'll be telling my grandkids in years to come, if I ever work out to have kids in the first place - since I've been told I need to figure out how to have kids in order to have grandkids.
Can you please talk to Guy Ritchie and make the sequel to RocknRolla??!?
By far my favorite movie of yours!
GB:Yea, I love that movie too. That was also one of my most fun experiences - to go into Guy Ritchie world, into those insane situations, and have the dialogue that you would only ever dream of getting the chance to say. I had the best time making that movie. And you're right, it's about time I gave Guy a call and told him to get back into RockNRolla territory.
Have you ever been so ripped that you were able to bend time?
GB:Yes, I was once so ripped I was able to bend time in a loop and I was able to come back round to when I was fat again.
Hi Gerard! Just had to say, I think you ROCK. Law Abiding Citizen and 300 are two of my favorite films (along with The Big Lebowski and Tombstone, but c'mon.) I have two questions: what is your favorite comfort food, and had you given consideration to playing Roland, or another role, in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series?
GB:my favorite comfort food is probably spongecake and custard. I don't know if that is big in America, but as a kid growing up, my mouth would water. The other thing that makes my mouth water is fried battered fish and chips with loads of vinegar and salt and pickled onions on the side.
I once did a movie called DEAR FRANKIE which I shot in Scotland, and in the script, the kid orders that fish & chips order - and for 2 months before i shot the movie, I could only think about ordering fish and chips with loads of salt and vinegar. I ate it for three nights in a row when I got there, and that put me off of it for another year.
I don't know the Steven King series, but I love him as an author, and THE SHINING and CARRIE were two of my top favorite movies. But i don't know THE DARK TOWER series. Thanks for the tip-off! I am going to check it out now.
Interestingly enough, Joel Silver (who made ROCKNROLLA) his production company is called DARK CASTLE.
(Is this clutching at straws to be interesting?)
I love you!
GB:I love you too!
Edit: RICKY and I love you too!
Thanks for doing an AMA, I really enjoy your acting.
What's your favorite movie?
Do you have any actors that you see as your inspiration in acting?
GB:
My favorite movie (even though it's very hard to choose) is also Antoine Fuqua's favorite movie, APOCALYPSE NOW - where there is a true dark journey of a mythical hero, who journeys down the river into the dark recesses of his mind and into the belly of the beast. It's what so many masculine characters are based on, almost, in a way, what every story is based on.
I'm inspired by many actors for different reasons - my favorite actors would be the ones I grew up with, from Richard Burton to Paul Newman to Steve McQueen, but then, how can you not bring up a De Niro or a Pacino or a Philp Seymour Hoffman or a Daniel Day-Lewis - or even a Steve Carrell? Because they all have their own forms of magic.
What would I find in Gerard Butlers music library?
GB:A lot of strange and operatic music, from Sigur Ros to Mogwai to Oliver Arnold to Damien Rice to Counting Crows to the Rolling Stones to U2 - it's pretty much an eclectic mix. But I'm most inspired by a lot of operatic movie and movie composers like Hans Zimmer or Patrick Cassidy...
check this story out: I was filming REIGN OF FIRE - I was filming in Dublin, and I went to see HANNIBAL the movie, which I didn't particularly enjoy, but when the music came on at the end, I felt I like I had been touched by God - and when everyone was walking out at the end, I felt like yelling at them "WHat the eff are you doing? Do you hear this music?" I went straight to Virgin records and bought the CD, and took it home, and played it all night, and the next day the landlord came up to say hello - not to complain - and I said "You have to listen to this," and i played it for him, and he said "Jesus! That's Patrick Cassidy! He used to live in this apartment" and it turns out that Patrick Cassidy had rented the exact same apartment that i was living in. And I think that indeed he won an Oscar for that score.
I've had so many of these incredible synchronicities in my life, and i use them as a sign that I'm moving in the right direction.
As an aside - Ricky just brought up THE MISSION, by Ennio Morricone - you guys should check out another composer called Max Richter, who did that animated movie about the attack in Lebanon - WALTZ WITH BASHIR. Check him out. If anybody is interested, I will make a list.
would you enjoy playing a villain ?
GB:I love the opportunity to play a villain. Funny enough, in LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, I was always going to play the hero - the Jamie Fox role - and I was producing the movie, and I kept saying to the other producers that i would love to play the villain, and my manager and agent were telling me not to be silly. We were discussing Jamie Foxx one day, and we had offered him the role of the villain and he had responded that he was interested in being the hero, and I said "let him play the hero, and I'll play the villain."
The next movie that I'm looking at, I may very well play the villain, and it's one of my favorite scripts that I've read in a long time, but I can't say any more about it now, seeing as I'm Secret Service and it's not made yet.
Who is your favourite ever Celtic player?
GB:Kenny Dalglaish! He played for Celtic and Liverpool and went on to win many european cups with Liverpool. He was also a friend of my cousins and called me out of the blue on my 13th birthday, which was maybe my most exciting memory of childhood.
And while we're on the subject of synchronicity, he managed the team that I played for at Soccer Aid that I played for that i talked about earlier - the game was at Old Trafford, England against the rest of the world.
Too many synchronicities!
EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone who has stopped by, there have been some amazing questions and Ricky and I have enjoyed answering them. Now we both gotta go and kick some ass. We have the Olympus premiere tonight, I haven't been this excited for a premiere in a long time, and the movie opens on this Friday. We'd love for you guys to go and check it out.
RICKY: Gerry can take the lead now.
Thank you!
www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ajkso/i_am_gerard_butler_amaa/
here are the answers...
Hi Reddit - Gerard Butler here of '300' and the upcoming 'Olympus Has Fallen'. I'm here along with Ricky Jones (U.S. counterterrorism specialist) to answer your questions for the next 2 hours so go ahead - AMAA! Cheers.
PROOF:
Awesome! I'll have questions relating to this more than about Mr. Butler's career, since that's what everyone else is focusing on.
1. What are the most and least realistic scenes in Olympus has Fallen?
2. Did you have to consult with the Secret Service on what protection actually exists?
3. Were you required to change anything in the movie for security purposes?
4. Did the writers have to dream up what protection is available to the President?
5. Was there any real-life events that inspired that tactics either for the Secret Service or the attackers?
RICKY: The most realistic scene - or character to me - is Gerard Butler's character. He took on the character, the courage, and the heart of what every Secret Service agent has - and he really honored the Secret Service with his acting ability.
2) No - I know what already exists. Mr Fuqua had one Secret Service agent - and I think Gerry worked with him as well - to work with those guys who are still active today.
3) There were more things that we couldn't tell in the first place - so we couldn't reveal anything that was classified. It is the White House, and it is where the President lives, so we are not going to reveal anything that is classified, top secret, or would jeapordize the White House.
GB: Ricky was on set with us every second of every day - advising and encouraging - and we used a LOT of his ideas, and trying to make Banning's journey through the White House more informed, fascinating - he brought up the idea of psychological counterterrorism - the cat & mouse game with the villain - which is something we always wanted to bring in, different tech we could bring into the movie - what are the strategy and tactics used by the Secret Service - and firstly, arming yourself, assessing enemy capabilities, what's the purpose, establishing outside lines of contact with the crisis room, and starting to neutralize the threat. But what Ricky said before really made me think - when he started to talk about the heart that I brought to Banning - because that's what I got, especially from Ricky - because you can learn all the information, and the expertise that they may have, but at the end of the day, when you're talking to someone who has lived this and engaged the enemy, even been wounded by the enemy, is what you see in their eyes and in their soul when they talk about the performance of their duty. And that's what I took into Banning's character, was this incredible courage and commitment and this kind of protection of the president & the people of this country - how those ideals seem to pump through their blood. And that when they talk about the enemy- those who would hurt them, or those they protect, or innocent people, that you could see this gleam, this danger in their eye. And that, to me, is the crux of this movie, because when this happens, this attack, it's so appalling and horrific and shocking, that we need - the audience - needs satisfaction and payback. And if I can go as far in saying that in situations when this happens, there's a certain amount of emotional satisfaction that they get from essentially kicking the bad guys' ass. Because this is really good against evil.
4) Ricky again - Rothenberger and Benedict, they're historians and they did a lot of research on this when they wrote the script. They did a lot of research on what was available to the Secret Service - there is very little out there, but there are photos, there's the oath that they take to the Constitution, and they got those things right in the script.
GB: But there's also specific things that people do - like how they look - that can't be written in the script - how they move, and those would be things I would go to Ricky for. Like how do I turn this corner, or how do I relate to my men, what's the attitude, what's the posture - even the camaraderie - those are things you don't necessarily get in the script - you could either always ask those more specific questions that helped put the meat on the bones of the script, and that an audience can relate to and engage with, to Ricky. And that's the value of having an expert there. Or just to tell you that what you're doing is working. Encouragement, which is always a good thing. because it's a big responsibility to try to play a Secret Service agent and being convincing.
5) No - this is a work of fiction. Some of the things we created in the attack on the White House were things that I have dealt with in the past, but on foreign soil.
GB: Some of the genius of the movie is the simplicity of the plan. In 9/11, they used boxcutters and changed the world.
RICKY: They used our own aircraft as missiles.
Thanks for doing an AMA! That said, I have two questions for you:
• How did you prepare to take on the role of King Leonidas in 300? (i.e. What was your diet and workout routine like?)
• How was your experience working with Morgan Freeman in the upcoming movie Olympus Has Fallen?
GB:1) For King Leonidas - my preparation was the most preparation I've ever put into any role because i promised the head of Warner Brothers that if I did this movie, I would make him so proud and make the character - Leonidas - look good and be the most badass character. So from there it was four months of training, sometimes 6 months a day, with doing the '300' workout but also with my own bodybuilder and then 2 hours a day with the stunt guys learning very specifically those fight techniques and the choreography of the fight sequences. And then the diet - I could go on for hours, but let's just it was a nightmare. It was high protein, healthy fats like avocado, low carbs. Brown rice, cupcakes (just kidding), a lot of vegetables, way too much chicken and tuna, protein shakes until they were pouring out my ears.
2) My experience - the day Morgan said yes to the role was a great day for all of us. The day he turned up on set, there was such an electricity in the atmosphere, everybody was so excited that God had come upon us. He was so charming and easy and never asked for anything, was always happy and nice to people - and then would just turn on his character and gave this fantastic, human, powerful yet vulnerable performance that I think people are going to love in the movie.
Have there been any roles that you have turned down which you regret?
GB: Yes, there have been a couple, but I'm not going to say which, because that only gets you into hot water
How often do people scream lines from 300 at you?
GB:Probably once a day. I actually don't mind it - I don't like it if I'm in a place with a lot of people around like an airport - then they scream the line and you're stuck in line with a thousand people staring at you. But to be honest, I love that people feel so passionate about it. That, to me - the best thing as an actor is to do a role that people don't forget and they get excited about and they want to shout that excitement out to you when they see you.
What song do you sing in the shower?
GB:"Lovely Day" by Bill Withers
What did you take away on a visceral/personal level from your experience surfing at Mavericks?
GB:You know, when I started surfing, I suddenly felt being out in the water or just contemplating things, it opened up a whole new world to me. Then when I got out to Mavericks, that world was blown apart and it opened up a whole new universe. It was one of the most exciting, scary, inspiring things I ever did, being around that danger and that power, surrounded by guys who very quickly became heroes of mine - the best surfers in the world.
Long time fan. Love your work. Here's my question, which character would you say you had the most and least in common with? If you weren't an actor, what do you think you would be doing?
GB:I probably had the most in common with with either Mike in THE UGLY TRUTH or (and I don't mean on the same level) with Leonidas, in terms of the passion and determination that I use in my life. And Leonidas also because of the values that he had, that I've always aspired to - not that I have them, but I always have aspired to them, and I had a mythical understanding of what those values were -so when I was playing him, I felt like I was channeling him. I would meditate, and it was my mandate in the movie that I had to do him proud, and tell his story in such a way that it would live on forever.
And in a way for this movie, I tried to do the same - spending time with Ricky, that you see that these guys are the un-sung heroes of America - and then you take that as a motivating factor, and you think "I want to do justice to their story, to what they do, not just in the performance of their duties, but to their training and the preparation that they have to do to be able to perform at that level." And I really got that from Ricky, because you could see how proud and excited he was about the fact that people were telling the story of Secret Service agents and what they do for real - and I was surprised by how few (as Ricky would say, GOOD) stories have been told about the Secret Service.
RICKY: From my perspective, this movie is more about who you are because of the discipline - you get up at 4 AM to train, you are out there at 120 degrees, and you trained and trained, you got beat up by the stunt guys, and beat up you still showed up day after day. You came in bruised and beat up, and gave it your all. It was 122 with the heat index and humidity, they had to change his shirt 3 or 4 times to shoot the scene - everyone else was ready to pack up and quit, but you had that dedication and discipline to stay out there and shoot that scene. That's the kind of dedication the Secret Service has, and Gerry did that - so knowing you and knowing what the job is.
Ever said "P.S. I Love You" to anyone?
GB: Yes. In the movie. But a lot of people say it to me.
Hey, Mr. Butler, big Fan!How did you get your start in acting, and when? What started your interest in it?
GB:I was interested in it as a young kid - and it would come in spurts. It hit me hard at 10, at 15 i had a dream that i was in this fantasy film and I woke up and knew I had to be an actor; but then I went to law school, and went on a 7 year adventure down the wrong path. Fortunately I screwed that up and moved to London to follow my dreams and become an actor; essentially I blagged - talked - my way into an audition for a Shakespeare production and I got the role. And then my second audition was for TRAINSPOTTING: THE PLAY and i got the lead in that, which got me an agent, and took me into my first audition, which - thank God - I couldn't believe but i got that film too. That led straight to a manager in LA, and the rest is history (or not, depending on how you look at it!)
It seems like you didn't have a very positive attitude regarding your career as a lawyer...What made you change career paths?
GB:I always enjoyed the idea of studying as a lawyer and had a romantic notion of what it would be like to practice as a lawyer - but when reality hits you, and suddenly you're in the office trying to perform as a lawyer - I realized that this is not what I wanted to spend my life doing. I didn't want to find myself retiring and never having been brave enough to follow my dreams.
Retro question I know, but what made you decide to do Phantom all those years ago? Wonderful film by the way
GB:I was surprised to find out that they were even interested in me for that role. Joel Schumacker the director explained that he went to a Cinemaplex on a rainy day where there were 7 movies showing, and he'd seen the other six, so he decided he might as well see DRACULA: 2000 which was my first lead in a feature film in America.
He said that when I walked out, onscreen, as Dracula, and it was the first time he'd seen me, he thought "WOW I need to work with that guy." He called my agent and said "can Gerry sing? because i'm thinking about him as the Phantom." And my agent, who said "Yea, he can sing, but I don't know if he can sing that stuff." To which I said, "Thanks Jeremy, great job" but then I got the script and I read the script at the same time as listening to the music in my apartment with candles lit, and I ended up crying like a baby, and feeling every emotion possible. And I then went from doubting why they were interested to being absolutely desperate to play that role. And I then went for my first singing lesson with a professor at the Royal Academy of Music and Drama. And the rest is history!
How often do people ask you to yell "THIS IS _____" and kick something?
And Ricky, there haven't been many instances of acts of terror prevented or stopped I've heard about. Are there many instances that are stopped that we don't hear about? Or there haven't been many attempts in the last 12 years?
GB:Gerard here - I answered this before so letting Ricky take this one.
There have been several attempts against US facilities on foreign soil; we've had several attempts here on US soil that have been foiled as well by the intelligence agencies. For obvious reasons, you don't hear about it because it would glorify the bad guys as well as make it difficult for people to rest easy at night. The less known the better. But that said, there are people out there keeping us all safe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
GB adding: And it's what i got from Ricky when we were talking, was that the work the Secret Service does, that we don't hear about, was one of the most interesting things I learned when making this movie. And in this movie, we focus on a day where things went wrong - which would be considered a failure - but it also shows in every day when things went right, it's due to the work these men and women do in making sure that nothing happens - all their investigations, reconnaissance, essentially avoidance - and there are thousands of people dealing with that on a daily basis. And that's why people can ask questions like there are very few attacks on American soil - it's because of what the Secret Service does to make sure that it doesn't happen.
Ok, Gerard. Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses Or 1 Horse Sized duck. Hundreds of other celebrities have made the decision on a reddit AMA Choose wisely!
GB:I think I'd rather fight 100 duck-sized horses. Because I could trample them. Or they're so small, I could run faster than them. But if it's a horse-sized duck, then you're generally just screwed.
What kind of professions are there for fellow Spartans?
GB:I'd say that's actually a very interesting question - what I was amazed about was how that movie touched people in a very deep way, and had such a powerful, inspiring, motivating message that almost every football team, baseball team, basketball team, started using it and clips from the movie and mottoes from the movie -everywhere I went, I would run into professional sports players who would say that they found that movie tremendously inspiring before games. And the police, and the armed forces, I've come across 10 guys with tattoos of Leonidas on some part of their bodies. I just talked to the Marines at Camp Pendleton and got to perform my dream - which was to shout "Hawoo! Hawoo! Hawoo!" and have them all shout back. But also corporations used it, any kind of team that requires unity and motivation - so finally, to answer that, I think it's not so much about what professions there are for Spartans, but it's about bringing the Spartan values to any profession that you do.
Thank you for doing this, big fan! Who is your all-time favorite person to work with?Is Morgan Freeman's voice as captivating in person as it is in the movies?
It's MORE captivating in person (Morgan's voice, that is). When Morgan came up on set to say hello, I had met him once before but had forgotten about how tall he was - and he's such a charismatic, captivating presence. And he walks up, and he's right in your face with a big smile, and a warm hello, and a strong handshake, and you know he's arrived. And that's why he creates such electricity on set.
My favorite actor to work with? Tough question because I have been very blessed in how many great actors I've worked with - in fact I'm sick of making movies that say Oscar Winner Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler, or Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie and Gerard Butler, or Oscar Winner Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler... one day they'll say winner of the High School Karaoke competition Gerard Butler.
No I did win a few Karaoke competitions but not in High school. I won some raffles in High School though. But I'm just trying to make myself sound better than I am.
Hi Gerard, Olympus Has Fallen was Fantastic! You were brought over to meet my son and held him for pics!This is a HUGE thank you for coming to Camp Pendleton! A little boys dreams came true on Saturday, he met the Phantom! Thank you, thank you!
GB:I remember him well! He was so cute. And it was beautiful to see the big smile on his face when I picked him up, he was very happy, it was a lovely moment. Everybody who came, including Ricky, had a great day at Camp Pendleton and at the Navy base. It really felt like an honor to be brought in and accepted by them, and our whole team came - directors, cast, film distributors - basically everyone involved in the production showed up - and it was really exciting for everyone to see that and to see those on the tip of the spear, those who stand on the front line, who allow us to work as lawyers whether we want to or not, to just go grab a coffee and be able to pick up our children. I also greeted a couple of wounded warriors which was quite an emotional experience. It's important to point out as well - I was worried because this movie does involve a brutal attack that Marines would have an issue with it, but i decided to face my deepest fears, and if it wasn't going well, I would try to sneak out near the end and escape a stoning. But i couldn't believe how they embraced it and loved it - they applauded and cheered, and screamed, and laughed at all the jokes - because the movie has a lot of humor in it as well (if that's possible, but it really does). And they embraced it exactly as we hoped they would, to the point that I stayed til the end and even filmed with my camera phone. I just played it for a journalist on my little camera phone. I'm so glad I stayed, because it was one of the high points was seeing our true heroes accepting our movie.
GB:Ricky asked me a question! Because the feedback he is getting from the Secret Service guys is...
September 11 took 12 years to get finalization of Bin Ladin. This movie gives resolve, the American way. Immediately. And it makes people feel patriotic.
GB: I want to talk about that, because this is actually important. To echo what Ricky said, after September 11, all those who were involved in the attack were dead immediately - and every person on the free planet felt they needed to do something about it and there was nothing they could do. And in this movie, because the terrorists are still active and there is a standoff situation and a hostage crisis in the White House, there is something that can be done about it. And the attack that happens in this movie, which is so shocking, and brutal, and real, and unflinching, in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could do - it leaves you needing absolute satisfaction and justice - and as you would say - "the enemy has to be unseamed from the knave to the chops" as they say in MACBETH. And this is where the Secret Service step in - and what the result is, is a movie which is so involving, terrifying, but emotional and patriotic, and even I think "Maybe we got lucky that we managed to get all of that into this movie" because there are so many competing emotions. This movie appeals to both men and women evenly because it touches on values that are so deep within us because men and women have the same reaction as to what does the White House mean to them, what does the President's life mean to them, what does global security mean to them, and what the good men and women of this country who act in service means to them - and suddenly this movie transcended an action thriller and suddenly became something much more profound.
Favorite kind of sandwich?
GB:You probably don't know Branston Pickle. It hails from Yorkshire in England. And i LOVE to put that on a heated tuna sandwich with melted cheese.
RICKY: My favorite sandwich - my wife is from Norway and it's called "Brusheiva." It's one piece of bread, Norwegian cheese, and that's it.
Would you ever consider doing another musical ?
GB:I was just asked this earlier on and it got me thinking. I would love to do another musical at some point, but I don't see it happening in the next year or so. However when "300" came along, I swore I wouldn't do another "Sword & Sandals" epic so you never know - so you never know! one of the things I love about acting is that you never know what's around the corner.
If you were cast in the new Star Wars movies, what type of character would you want to be?
GB:Well, the originals were some of my favorite movies and in some ways, Harrison Ford played the best hero with attitude that it's possible to play. So it would have to be a Han Solo type character, because he gets to be the badass, the funny guy, the one with attitude, and he gets to kiss the girl at the end as well.
Gerard, what attracted you to the movie Olympus Has Fallen? Welcome to social media btw.
GB:Thank you, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.
When I first read the script, I immediately was fascinated by this kind of character - somebody in the Secret Service who has had a fall from grace, and taken away from the one thing they want to do in life - which is perform their duties, and everything they have trained for. Then, when I read the opening attack, I felt it was so ballsy and audacious, that if we could pull it off and make it real, it would be the most unforgettable experience - because it would touch such a nerve.
But more than that, having this fascinating insight into what goes on in the various arenas during a terrorist attack - from the crisis room to the bunker - I thought this was so gripping and the potential for great drama and suspense and edge-of-your-seat experience was huge.
How many of your own stunts do you get to do in a movie like 300 or Olympus or Gamer? Have there been times when the studio has said, "Woah, no way" when you were ready to jump through a window or something like that?
GB:Yea - I always do all my own stunts unless i am physically stopped by the insurance company. In this movie, I did all my own stunts except for one (and I picked up a lot of injuries along the way - I was hit the eye by a bullet casing - it felt like I'd been punched in the face, I was hit by flying dubris from explosions, my arm turned black from the wrist to the elbow and swelled right up, I lost a fingernail, I had a bruise the size of a melon on the back of my thigh, the fighting in this movie is very dynamic but brutal, which is what I wanted to do. We used various martial arts and sometimes just plain brutality - constantly improvising ways to eradicate / eliminate the terrorists) - the time I was stopped was in CHASING MAVERICKS was when I was actually chasing mavericks, and one week out there, I almost drowned.
RICKY: you had to use all those different ways because being the lone survivor in the White House, to rescue the President, if he shot they would track him down a way. So you used different silent methods to take out the enemy.
GB: We wanted to avoid a bunch of shoot outs in the White House, and fortunately it made tactical sense as well. When you are one man with 40 terrorists - even in my fight sequences, I'm trying to fight well-trained commandos in as silent a way as possible - which only heightens the excitement.
Mr.Butler,I just saw Gamer yesterday and i would like to know... how was it to kill Dexter Morgan with his weapon of choice?
GB:Firstly, let me point out that Dexter Morgan is an absolute genius. Love his show. But as an actor, he is just so fascinating to watch. But at the same time, in terms of the movie, I wanted nothing more than to see him dead. And the way that happened I thought was very interesting. And I took great satisfaction in seeing that knife slowly plunge into his chest.
Whats your favorite meal?
GB:Recently, my favorite meal has been thai - a good pad thai, or some thai noodle dish. I was just there in January, eating such great food that the taste has followed me back here.
Hi Gerard,huge fan of yours!!! I know you have a home in new York and your home is in Paisly Scotland (sound like a
) do you ever see yourself coming back home to Paisley to stay? And do you have an all time favourite band?? Keep up the amazing work you do Gerard,love every role of yours!Iv managed to get all the oldies at work to love you nearly as much as me,your a hot topic in our school staff room!xxxGB:I could see myself coming back to Scotland, absolutely. Don't know if I could settle in Paisley, had a great time growing up there, but my heart lies in the Highlands where my folks live.
My all time favorite band is probably an icelandic band called Sigur Ros, because they play with emotion that is specific to that land, and that land reminds me very much of Scotland. It's ethereal and haunting.
Did your mom get to see all of your Happy Birthday wishes to her? Did she like Angela Bassett and all of the others singing Happy Birthday to her? That was super sweet!
GB:My mum turns 70 the day after Mother's Day, and I sent her 10 bouquets of flowers, and I recorded her HAPPY BIRTHDAY at the Kelly & Michael show with the whole audience, and I recorded a message with the crowd outside the Kelly & Michael show, and with Bridgit Mendler. And I recorded another message with me and all my team and people on the street, and with every new line, new people jumped up. And I THEN recorded another HAPPY BIRTHDAY at the Piers Morgan show with me, Antoine, and Angela Bassett. So i sent her FOUR HAPPY BIRTHDAY songs.
Gerry, loved your voice over in How to Train your Dragon! Would you be interested in doing more voice overs for animation in the future? Absolutely love you and your movies. It helps that you love footie too. x
GB:I love animated movies - a lot of my favorite movies have been animated movies - from IT'S A BUG'S LIFE to FINDING NEMO to WALL-E to THE INCREDIBLES. And actually, one of my favorites was HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. It was a really proud moment when I sat down to watch that movie and realized what those geniuses at Dreamworks did, in creating a whole new world and just a beautiful story that appealed to adults and children alike. It's nice for me to do a movie that I can actually show my nieces and children of my friends, rather than saying "look away now! cover your ears!" which is what usually happens in my most of my movies.
I'm currently working on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, and I'm really jazzed about it, because i was concerned how it could possibly live up to the first one - but I think we have a great story that is charming as well as dark and funny, and at the end of the day, inspiring.
What did you do to train for the singing aspects of the Phantom of the Opera?Who's someone you want to work with that you haven't had the chance to yet?Bonus- what's your favorite book?
Hope you have a good reddit experience!GB: Who would i love to work with that I haven't yet: i'd love to work with Daniel Day-Lewis, he's by far the best actor of our generation and I like to go into daunting situations and know that I would learn a lot.
And my favorite book is probably Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It's this wonderful journey of the soul, a magical and dangerous trip through India. I've traveled to India a couple of times, the last time I went was only 2 weeks after the attacks in Mumbai, and I met up with Gregory and spent 3 days on the back of his motorbike with his motorbike gang, taking me to all the places he talked about in the book.
Are you as awesome as I think you are? Also I love you.
RICKY: I can tell you he is. You see him in the film, and you think "he's great looking." and then when you see him in person, he's better looking, you see him training, he's stronger than a country horse, he takes every picture and signs every autograph, and he is dedicated to his job. He is pretty awesome.
when not working .what do you do to relax ?
GB:GB: Sometimes it is hard for me to relax, so I have to force myself to go to other places, which is why I love to travel. So this year, at the beginning of the year, I knew i had a lot of stuff coming up so I went to the Highlands of Scotland, and to Thailand, and to Columbia, and Switzerland, and I skied under Mont Blanc. I love to take trips that involve participation of the soul, where the people that you meet and the things you participate in touch you - so for instance, camping on top of a glacier in Iceland, setting up a tent at 1 o clock in the morning, listening to Sigur Ros while the Northern Lights dance over your head - that beats anything that I could ever do as a performer. These are moments that you take to the grave and beyond. And worth anybody pursuing.
RICKY: I like to listen to opera. I love spending time with my family, my daughter Victoria, my stepsons James and Frederik, and just sitting in the backyard looking at all the things my wife has planted, with a cool breeze.
Hi there! What is your favorite city in the world?
GB:Either New York or Rio. Both for very different reasons.
Hi gerard ... Will you do soccer aid again?... I saw you at old Trafford and you waved at me x
GB:Yea, I remember you well!
Soccer Aid was a phenomenal experience. It was like performing at a Rock Concert - yet being an amateur singer next to the three tenors, surrounded by some of the best players on the planet. It's incredible how much the adrenaline can push you towards a heart attack. I did think after 10 minutes, is this what it feels like when you are dying. But the experience was just tremendous and I'm so glad I did it, and yes I would like to do it again.
If you could play any superhero who would it be? Please say Wonder Woman
GB:Wonder Woman. No really, Wonder Woman. Although I think I'd like to create my own superhero.
to both gerard and ricky......tea or coffee?
GB:GB: Coffee.
Ricky: Tea. With a little milk.
GB: Tomato, Tomatoe.
Hey, Gerard! Thanks for doing this AMA! I really love all your films, but you were absolutely brilliant in Law Abiding Citizen! One of my Top 10 all-time-favorite flicks.
•What do you do to keep in shape when you're not taking on the role of a half-naked hulk of fury?
•What's your favorite American beer?
•Are you enough of a badass dude to do a "Survivorman" episode with Les Stroud? (Hey, if Will Ferrell can do "MAN vs. WILD", you ain't got a good excuse!)
GB:1) You know, I just try to do some general cardio, biking, hiking, running. Try to keep it interesting, or surfing or soccer, something that makes it more interesting than just going to the gym.
2) I don't drink, haven't drank for years, but when I was drinking... Miller.
3) Hell yea! I'd show him a thing or two. Is he enough of a badass one to do an episode with me? In Scotland? To touch on Will Ferrell, by the way, I just want to say - he was a dark horse at the soccer aid game. I played a game of Five Asides soccer with him a couple of weeks before the game in the Hollywood Hills, and he was REALLY Good. Really tough, really tenacious, and I thought he played fantastically well - and he really surprised everybody. Edward Norton, however, was another story.
I just want to say that "Machine Gun Preacher" absolutely tore my heart in two. Amazing film. (And I heard it's quite accurate as well)
GB:Thank you, thank you, thank you. That was one of my proudest moments, and yet my biggest disappointments because I think that movie was such a powerful story that had to be told and yet at the end of the day not many people saw it. It will always remain a bit of sadness in my career because I felt the story was so touching and everyone put so much into it, as did I. We received a 10 minute standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival, everybody was crying, everybody was pumped, and then the film wasn't really released properly.
RICKY: this movie is about one of the most horrific things taking place in the world today, and one man standing up against it, and the government just standing by and watching it.
What was your favorite scene/line to film in 300?
GB:My favorite scene was my dying scene, when I had to stand up and suddenly in that moment recall my wife and everything I stood for, and I say "My queen, my wife, my love" and I think of all my movies, that is the most powerful moment I ever had. In preparation for each take, I would scream at the ground, clench my fists, and scrape the ground, and cut all my knuckles and rip my nails... I would scream, and scrape, and scratch, and then I would stand and go "GO."
And they would film.
And it felt so visceral, and so powerful, and the next day, that was my last day of filming, the next day I was leaving Montreal and I went through US IMMIGRATION and the officer asked "what happened to your hands" and I said "I was just scratching the ground" and she took me for secondary questioning, and I missed my flight, and had to stay another day.
So the next day I wore gloves.
What was your favorite skit when hosting SNL?
GB:You know, I LOVED Beauty and the Beast - the idea that the beast doesn't realize that he's the beast, and thinks that he's the beauty and she's the beast. and if he was really to have his way, he'd rather have a woman with a big ass. And it was just a magical moment in the show, when I relaxed and was in it.
But I also loved "What's up with that," which has now become a regular feature on SNL and i did the first one. Which I'll be telling my grandkids in years to come, if I ever work out to have kids in the first place - since I've been told I need to figure out how to have kids in order to have grandkids.
Can you please talk to Guy Ritchie and make the sequel to RocknRolla??!?
By far my favorite movie of yours!
GB:Yea, I love that movie too. That was also one of my most fun experiences - to go into Guy Ritchie world, into those insane situations, and have the dialogue that you would only ever dream of getting the chance to say. I had the best time making that movie. And you're right, it's about time I gave Guy a call and told him to get back into RockNRolla territory.
Have you ever been so ripped that you were able to bend time?
GB:Yes, I was once so ripped I was able to bend time in a loop and I was able to come back round to when I was fat again.
Hi Gerard! Just had to say, I think you ROCK. Law Abiding Citizen and 300 are two of my favorite films (along with The Big Lebowski and Tombstone, but c'mon.) I have two questions: what is your favorite comfort food, and had you given consideration to playing Roland, or another role, in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series?
GB:my favorite comfort food is probably spongecake and custard. I don't know if that is big in America, but as a kid growing up, my mouth would water. The other thing that makes my mouth water is fried battered fish and chips with loads of vinegar and salt and pickled onions on the side.
I once did a movie called DEAR FRANKIE which I shot in Scotland, and in the script, the kid orders that fish & chips order - and for 2 months before i shot the movie, I could only think about ordering fish and chips with loads of salt and vinegar. I ate it for three nights in a row when I got there, and that put me off of it for another year.
I don't know the Steven King series, but I love him as an author, and THE SHINING and CARRIE were two of my top favorite movies. But i don't know THE DARK TOWER series. Thanks for the tip-off! I am going to check it out now.
Interestingly enough, Joel Silver (who made ROCKNROLLA) his production company is called DARK CASTLE.
(Is this clutching at straws to be interesting?)
I love you!
GB:I love you too!
Edit: RICKY and I love you too!
Thanks for doing an AMA, I really enjoy your acting.
What's your favorite movie?
Do you have any actors that you see as your inspiration in acting?
GB:
My favorite movie (even though it's very hard to choose) is also Antoine Fuqua's favorite movie, APOCALYPSE NOW - where there is a true dark journey of a mythical hero, who journeys down the river into the dark recesses of his mind and into the belly of the beast. It's what so many masculine characters are based on, almost, in a way, what every story is based on.
I'm inspired by many actors for different reasons - my favorite actors would be the ones I grew up with, from Richard Burton to Paul Newman to Steve McQueen, but then, how can you not bring up a De Niro or a Pacino or a Philp Seymour Hoffman or a Daniel Day-Lewis - or even a Steve Carrell? Because they all have their own forms of magic.
What would I find in Gerard Butlers music library?
GB:A lot of strange and operatic music, from Sigur Ros to Mogwai to Oliver Arnold to Damien Rice to Counting Crows to the Rolling Stones to U2 - it's pretty much an eclectic mix. But I'm most inspired by a lot of operatic movie and movie composers like Hans Zimmer or Patrick Cassidy...
check this story out: I was filming REIGN OF FIRE - I was filming in Dublin, and I went to see HANNIBAL the movie, which I didn't particularly enjoy, but when the music came on at the end, I felt I like I had been touched by God - and when everyone was walking out at the end, I felt like yelling at them "WHat the eff are you doing? Do you hear this music?" I went straight to Virgin records and bought the CD, and took it home, and played it all night, and the next day the landlord came up to say hello - not to complain - and I said "You have to listen to this," and i played it for him, and he said "Jesus! That's Patrick Cassidy! He used to live in this apartment" and it turns out that Patrick Cassidy had rented the exact same apartment that i was living in. And I think that indeed he won an Oscar for that score.
I've had so many of these incredible synchronicities in my life, and i use them as a sign that I'm moving in the right direction.
As an aside - Ricky just brought up THE MISSION, by Ennio Morricone - you guys should check out another composer called Max Richter, who did that animated movie about the attack in Lebanon - WALTZ WITH BASHIR. Check him out. If anybody is interested, I will make a list.
would you enjoy playing a villain ?
GB:I love the opportunity to play a villain. Funny enough, in LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, I was always going to play the hero - the Jamie Fox role - and I was producing the movie, and I kept saying to the other producers that i would love to play the villain, and my manager and agent were telling me not to be silly. We were discussing Jamie Foxx one day, and we had offered him the role of the villain and he had responded that he was interested in being the hero, and I said "let him play the hero, and I'll play the villain."
The next movie that I'm looking at, I may very well play the villain, and it's one of my favorite scripts that I've read in a long time, but I can't say any more about it now, seeing as I'm Secret Service and it's not made yet.
Who is your favourite ever Celtic player?
GB:Kenny Dalglaish! He played for Celtic and Liverpool and went on to win many european cups with Liverpool. He was also a friend of my cousins and called me out of the blue on my 13th birthday, which was maybe my most exciting memory of childhood.
And while we're on the subject of synchronicity, he managed the team that I played for at Soccer Aid that I played for that i talked about earlier - the game was at Old Trafford, England against the rest of the world.
Too many synchronicities!
EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone who has stopped by, there have been some amazing questions and Ricky and I have enjoyed answering them. Now we both gotta go and kick some ass. We have the Olympus premiere tonight, I haven't been this excited for a premiere in a long time, and the movie opens on this Friday. We'd love for you guys to go and check it out.
RICKY: Gerry can take the lead now.
Thank you!
Elenoire - I have been reading this while having my morning cuppa. I'm enjoying all the background info on OHF
Thank you Elenoire! I can't imagine how you managed it, but you made it easy to read along with being very interesting. 
