Post by dawne27 on Feb 10, 2012 9:48:24 GMT -5
www.askmen.com/celebs/interview_600/620_gerard-butler-interview.html
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Gerard Butler Interview
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Relativity Media
Quick Bio
Gerard Butler tackles the remarkable true story of Sam Childers in his latest film, Machine Gun Preacher. Childers, the former bike-gang member, convicted felon, drug dealer, and addict, whose conversion to fundamentalist Christianity inspired him to help save the orphans of war-torn Sudan has dedicated his life to the cause.
He established an orphanage and for 13 years has lead armed rescue missions to take back imprisoned children who otherwise would have been forced to become soldiers or sex slaves for the notorious Lord’s Liberation Army, led by Joseph Kony, who is wanted for crimes against humanity. Childers’ Angels of East Africa mission is the only charitable organisation to remain in place during outbreaks of hostilities in Sudan.
Many of us talk and think about helping others, but Sam Childers actually did it and he wrote about it in his book, Another Man’s War. Butler, who is known for his philanthropic work, was one of the first celebrities on the ground with Sean Penn for the Jenkins-Penn Humanitarian Relief Organization in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was thrilled to play Childers because he was fascinated by him and his story, and he wanted to help get the message out that tragedies take place every day in the Sudan, and that help is needed. Butler spoke with AskMen about his twin obsessions.
What was your first meeting with Childers like? What were your impressions?
Gerard Butler : My first meeting was at 9 p.m., on the 24th of September, Jonestown, Pennsylvania. We arrived at his house and met his family and a couple of preacher friends of his, and he was very much in his own domain and element and enjoying the space and attention.
And quite rightly so. His movie was about to be made, and a Hollywood actor has asked to come up and see him. He had a toothpick in his mouth and a cocky smile, and he’s like, “OK, what you got for me?” He sits me down and says, “Here, take this!” And he gives me a gun. And I’m like, “I know this is a bit of a test." So I start playing with the gun and I’m thinking that maybe I should brandish it. So I brandish it, and they all go, “Whoa!” And they drop, “It’s a loaded gun!” And I said, “Why are you giving it to me?” And we were about to have our first fall-out.
I say, “Why are you giving me a loaded gun in a small room full of people?” And there went the first test. But, immediately, I saw a man with incredible charisma, and you could tell he could be very dangerous as well -- a powerhouse of a man but with a great twinkle in his eye. And that’s something I wanted to grab onto in all of this. A real colorful character with a humor about him.”
He's larger than life. How did you keep try to the real version of Sam for the film and not his?
GB : I spent quite a bit of time with Sam and got to know him, and I got a feel for him. I’m not paying JFK. I’m not playing Hitler. It’s not like I have to get every hair right on the head and every tic the character has. It’s not like enough people know who Sam is. It’s the story and the essence of the man, and that’s what I wanted to get, and these are stories that happened to this man a while ago.
I’m thinking, here is a guy who is used to telling his story. He’s written a book about his stories. He’s told them many times. Then you have to go back to from where they came and imagine them in their element as they arrived and what drama that created and what emotion that created. And, at that point, you come from the script which is entirely based on his story, and I’m working with the likes of Michelle Monaghan and finessing our own story. You can’t then take too much heat to someone coming in with hindsight and saying, “I wasn’t that bad. I didn’t shoot that many people."
There has been news coverage of Sam's story over the years. Were you aware of him?
GB : No. I had never heard of Sam Childers, and I’d just been told about this Machine Gun Preacher. The director didn’t even want me to read the script until he knew that we were closer to getting the movie made. I was definitely the right guy for this. He knew that I’d put myself wholeheartedly into it, once I came across the story as anyone would. You read this story, and it’s so captivating and full of adventure and yet truth, and it’s inspiring and remarkable. You think they are fantastic characters, and this is this guy and this is what he’s doing. I wanted to tell his story because I don’t think a lot of people have heard of him.
You researched the situation in Sudan of kidnapped children and corruption. How did you process the horror?
GB : There was a lot of source material used when you’re playing a role like this. Hours of TV interviews and radio, and then I broke down everything he did. Sam is a biker, so I watched biker documentaries and books, and he was a preacher, so I watched hours of YouTube footage and documentaries on religious fundamentalism and preachers, and then more than anything, documentaries on Sudan. That’s what helped me more than anything to click on to this character because, if anything, Sam’s journey was a dark journey into hell -- him trying to help these kids and this descent into madness. And he was ground down into insanity, but what he witnessed and the constant pressures of family, finances, war, death, and abuse, and hopelessness, really.
There was a lot of great documentary footage and interviews with kids, especially photographic sources that I would use on a daily basis. I would use this massive folder and took it with me everywhere, and it was a shorthand and could take me to a dark emotional place. Then you just spend a long time thinking to be in those spaces where it’s hard to imagine being.
You were obsessive about the story, I understand.
GB : I have many obsessions that many years of therapy haven’t quite got rid of, but they certainly diagnosed that I had them. And I'm not going into too many details but the main one has three letters and begins with “s” and ends with “x.” No, I’m joking! I’m joking!
I get obsessed with many things, and I have many obsessions that take me down some winding dark roads and many have brought me to the place I’m at today because I really grab onto them with both hands, and I bite into them, and that’s me -- I’m gone. And this is one of them, actually. I get obsessed with roles, especially when that role is impactful and has a message, like this movie. It’s also easy for me to let things go, but when it’s something that gets with you and sticks with you, it’s easy to let it take over your life. Then all the work you do is a joy, and in other ways, kind of self-destructive. "
"
Gerard Butler Interview
Share EmailPrintRSSPage: 1
Relativity Media
Quick Bio
Gerard Butler tackles the remarkable true story of Sam Childers in his latest film, Machine Gun Preacher. Childers, the former bike-gang member, convicted felon, drug dealer, and addict, whose conversion to fundamentalist Christianity inspired him to help save the orphans of war-torn Sudan has dedicated his life to the cause.
He established an orphanage and for 13 years has lead armed rescue missions to take back imprisoned children who otherwise would have been forced to become soldiers or sex slaves for the notorious Lord’s Liberation Army, led by Joseph Kony, who is wanted for crimes against humanity. Childers’ Angels of East Africa mission is the only charitable organisation to remain in place during outbreaks of hostilities in Sudan.
Many of us talk and think about helping others, but Sam Childers actually did it and he wrote about it in his book, Another Man’s War. Butler, who is known for his philanthropic work, was one of the first celebrities on the ground with Sean Penn for the Jenkins-Penn Humanitarian Relief Organization in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was thrilled to play Childers because he was fascinated by him and his story, and he wanted to help get the message out that tragedies take place every day in the Sudan, and that help is needed. Butler spoke with AskMen about his twin obsessions.
What was your first meeting with Childers like? What were your impressions?
Gerard Butler : My first meeting was at 9 p.m., on the 24th of September, Jonestown, Pennsylvania. We arrived at his house and met his family and a couple of preacher friends of his, and he was very much in his own domain and element and enjoying the space and attention.
And quite rightly so. His movie was about to be made, and a Hollywood actor has asked to come up and see him. He had a toothpick in his mouth and a cocky smile, and he’s like, “OK, what you got for me?” He sits me down and says, “Here, take this!” And he gives me a gun. And I’m like, “I know this is a bit of a test." So I start playing with the gun and I’m thinking that maybe I should brandish it. So I brandish it, and they all go, “Whoa!” And they drop, “It’s a loaded gun!” And I said, “Why are you giving it to me?” And we were about to have our first fall-out.
I say, “Why are you giving me a loaded gun in a small room full of people?” And there went the first test. But, immediately, I saw a man with incredible charisma, and you could tell he could be very dangerous as well -- a powerhouse of a man but with a great twinkle in his eye. And that’s something I wanted to grab onto in all of this. A real colorful character with a humor about him.”
He's larger than life. How did you keep try to the real version of Sam for the film and not his?
GB : I spent quite a bit of time with Sam and got to know him, and I got a feel for him. I’m not paying JFK. I’m not playing Hitler. It’s not like I have to get every hair right on the head and every tic the character has. It’s not like enough people know who Sam is. It’s the story and the essence of the man, and that’s what I wanted to get, and these are stories that happened to this man a while ago.
I’m thinking, here is a guy who is used to telling his story. He’s written a book about his stories. He’s told them many times. Then you have to go back to from where they came and imagine them in their element as they arrived and what drama that created and what emotion that created. And, at that point, you come from the script which is entirely based on his story, and I’m working with the likes of Michelle Monaghan and finessing our own story. You can’t then take too much heat to someone coming in with hindsight and saying, “I wasn’t that bad. I didn’t shoot that many people."
There has been news coverage of Sam's story over the years. Were you aware of him?
GB : No. I had never heard of Sam Childers, and I’d just been told about this Machine Gun Preacher. The director didn’t even want me to read the script until he knew that we were closer to getting the movie made. I was definitely the right guy for this. He knew that I’d put myself wholeheartedly into it, once I came across the story as anyone would. You read this story, and it’s so captivating and full of adventure and yet truth, and it’s inspiring and remarkable. You think they are fantastic characters, and this is this guy and this is what he’s doing. I wanted to tell his story because I don’t think a lot of people have heard of him.
You researched the situation in Sudan of kidnapped children and corruption. How did you process the horror?
GB : There was a lot of source material used when you’re playing a role like this. Hours of TV interviews and radio, and then I broke down everything he did. Sam is a biker, so I watched biker documentaries and books, and he was a preacher, so I watched hours of YouTube footage and documentaries on religious fundamentalism and preachers, and then more than anything, documentaries on Sudan. That’s what helped me more than anything to click on to this character because, if anything, Sam’s journey was a dark journey into hell -- him trying to help these kids and this descent into madness. And he was ground down into insanity, but what he witnessed and the constant pressures of family, finances, war, death, and abuse, and hopelessness, really.
There was a lot of great documentary footage and interviews with kids, especially photographic sources that I would use on a daily basis. I would use this massive folder and took it with me everywhere, and it was a shorthand and could take me to a dark emotional place. Then you just spend a long time thinking to be in those spaces where it’s hard to imagine being.
You were obsessive about the story, I understand.
GB : I have many obsessions that many years of therapy haven’t quite got rid of, but they certainly diagnosed that I had them. And I'm not going into too many details but the main one has three letters and begins with “s” and ends with “x.” No, I’m joking! I’m joking!
I get obsessed with many things, and I have many obsessions that take me down some winding dark roads and many have brought me to the place I’m at today because I really grab onto them with both hands, and I bite into them, and that’s me -- I’m gone. And this is one of them, actually. I get obsessed with roles, especially when that role is impactful and has a message, like this movie. It’s also easy for me to let things go, but when it’s something that gets with you and sticks with you, it’s easy to let it take over your life. Then all the work you do is a joy, and in other ways, kind of self-destructive. "
