Gerard Butler takes aim at the paparazzi on the promotion trail of How to Train Your Dragon

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/movies/gerard-butler-takes-aim-at-the-paparazzi-on-the-promotion-trail-of-how-to-train-your-dragon/story-e6frf9h6-1225845398804

Gerard Butler takes aim at the paparazzi on the promotion trail of How to Train Your Dragon
Andrew Fenton From: Herald Sun March 25, 2010 5:10PM


GERARD Butler doesn't like journalists much. Upon seeing this journo walk through the door, he sprints in the opposite direction, climbs up on a cabinet and starts scratching at the wall trying to get away.
After Butler clambers off the cabinet he flashes a grin and explains it's nothing personal. The publicist - who he put on this little show for - has told him he has seven hours of interviews back to back, and he wants to escape.

"What's scary is I've just f---ing started," he says in his thick Scottish accent.

We're in Los Angeles for an event pushing DreamWorks Animation's 2010 all-3D line-up including How to Train Your Dragon, in which Butler voices an oddly Scottish-sounding Viking.

Butler has the easy manner of a manly man who's comfortable in his surroundings, and seems to be a nice guy.

"I am a really nice guy," he confirms.

"I have no issues with journalists - it's the act of doing press. I get quite claustrophobic being stuck in a room trying to talk and sound intelligent."

Butler tolerates journalists, but it's fair to say he hates paparazzi. He was charged by police after punching a photographer in the face several times at the LA premiere for RocknRolla in October 2008.

He faced up to six months in prison, but a few days before this interview, a judge dropped the charges after hearing Butler had completed community service along with evidence that the paparazzo involved had repeatedly sped through red lights in pursuit of his famous quarry.

Though Butler has learnt his lesson, he says the paparazzi haven't.

"Yesterday I went into Starbucks and when I came out there were literally 15 paparazzi and they ran across the road with me, they held up traffic, every car was tooting - they didn't care," he says with contempt.

Butler has carved a niche playing tough guys (300), and macho men in rom-coms (The Ugly Truth).

He says Scottish and Australian actors have an advantage in Hollywood because directors see them as more believable hard men.

"I would love to say, no, it's all me, it's just that I'm a tough bastard. But there's no doubt in Scotland and Australia we come from a stronger, tougher culture where men act more like men," he says.

"In America, even when they grow up there's still a sense of boyishness and men don't become men here until they're old. I act young but at the same time I'm a man."

In last year's The Ugly Truth he played a boorish lout fond of making crude pronouncements about the battle of the sexes. The film was roundly criticised for being misogynistic and Butler seems quite comfortable with that.

"It probably was!" he says, laughing. "But it was never a movie that took itself too seriously or preached that this is how you should think."

He veered into similar territory with The Bounty Hunter, in which his character takes great delight in taking his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) to jail.

The big, mean Viking Butler plays in How to Train Your Dragon, Stoick, lives on a mythical island where fight ing dragons is a way of life. He comes down hard on his weedy son Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), who shows an utter lack of warrior-like attributes.

Butler's voice sounds ancient and huge in the movie. He seems pleased to hear this, explaining that he didn't like his voice when he first saw a rough cut of the film.

"It was a little too soft, a little too sensitive," he says.

So he went back into the studio to make it stronger.

"I wanted him to sound like he was basically talking from his ass."

A thought strikes Butler and he laughs.

"That was about six days ago! I actually don't even know if it's even in there yet. In fact, I meant to ask. Because if you're saying it's big already then I'm a little worried about it!"

Quote :

"I would love to say, no, it's all me, it's just that I'm a tough bastard. But there's no doubt in Scotland and Australia we come from a stronger, tougher culture where men act more like men," he says.

"In America, even when they grow up there's still a sense of boyishness and men don't become men here until they're old. I act young but at the same time I'm a man."

Butler needs to take a pilgrimage through America, and by that I don't mean just Hollyweird and New York City among the elite, wealthy socialites. I mean among the normal people, maybe some farmers or ranchers or blue collar workers. Really, Gerry....it might prove to be more spiritually enlightening than drinking dirty water in India.

yessiree, Donna

Now what do my kids say? Oh yeah, for you, Gerry..."smooth move ex-lax"

DonnaKat wrote:

Butler needs to take a pilgrimage through America, and by that I don't mean just Hollyweird and New York City among the elite, wealthy socialites. I mean among the normal people, maybe some farmers or ranchers or blue collar workers. Really, Gerry....it might prove to be more spiritually enlightening than drinking dirty water in India.

he who has been surrounded by "gay" rumors for years is SO much more macho than our american men!!

coddled much?

I doubt my 5 cousins who are police officers would feel the same way, Mr. Butters.

John Wayne.

American.

Nuff said.

Two words:

Chuck Norris.

DonnaKat wrote:

Butler needs to take a pilgrimage through America, and by that I don't mean just Hollyweird and New York City among the elite, wealthy socialites. I mean among the normal people, maybe some farmers or ranchers or blue collar workers. Really, Gerry....it might prove to be more spiritually enlightening than drinking dirty water in India.

I just wish Gerard would come across your quote, Donna, and read it and remember that it is America that gave him his big break. Heck, he should think of all the hard working crew members that work on his movies. I thought he said he did. Heck, his own stunt/double is American. Well, his quote just smacked them all in the face. And another thing, I think I remember him saying he was in NYC on 9/11, did he not see the heroism all around him?

I have time and I'm bored. What GB said really offended me.

The Scot wrote:

He says Scottish and Australian actors have an advantage in Hollywood because directors see them as more believable hard men.

No, dude, it's the accents. We like our bad boys to have non-American accents because all non-American men are "hard men". Ever since James Bond, we associate those accents with dangerous tough suave sexy "hard men" who could kill 100 men in 100 seconds and do 100 women in the next 100 seconds and go off to kill some more.

The fact that all you "hard men" have deep crags and unwashed looks on your faces certainly reenforce the "hard men" image.

Isn't Craig Ferguson a Scot?

Mr. Tough wrote:

"I would love to say, no, it's all me, it's just that I'm a tough bastard. But there's no doubt in Scotland and Australia we come from a stronger, tougher culture where men act more like men," he says.

You mean beating your women and children are legal and moral necessities.

What about Craig Ferguson?

Caveman wrote:

"In America, even when they grow up there's still a sense of boyishness and men don't become men here until they're old. I act young but at the same time I'm a man."

"Man" who hangs out with pretty men. "Man" who picks his nose in public. "Man" who slobbers women on sidewalks. "Man" who talks about sex in kiddie film promos. "Man" who leers at women but yell at them when they leer back. "Man" who sleeps with women then tell about them in public. "Man" who's over 40 with no heirs. "Man" who spends every evening in bars and at parties.

I guess "man" means uncivilized, ill-mannered, irresponsible, and having no respect for women and children. Caveman!

Wait, that's an insult to cavemen everywhere. Cavemen protect their women and children.

ok, julie..how do you REALLY feel??? lol!

seriously, tho. well said.

You go girl!

I was thinking that too, about the accents.

It's the accents, Gerry...not the masculinity or lack thereof.

Just like if I go into a foreign country, I'm considered "exotic". Yet here in the States, I'm nothing special.

It's like the Bible says...A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and among his own kindred.

DK, we Southerners were pretty exotic to the Quebecites.

I think everyone has their opportunity to be exotic.

When I went to Ireland with people from Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, and a couple of other states, the locals were more impressed with all the other accents than mine, because I'm from CA. Majority of the media entertainment come from CA. My 'accent' wasn't exotic at all. They heard it all before. All my travel mates were always asked where they were from, and were told how much the locals liked the way they spoke.

Nay wrote:

However, I am very insulted with the insinuation that Scottish and Australian men are more domestically violent than other cultures. Nowhere in the interview did I read anything connecting this immoral and abhorent behaviour to a definition of manhood, so it is just the direction this thread has developed.

LegoJulie wrote:

You mean beating your women and children are legal and moral necessities.

That's just me.

When I hear people say things like their "men act like men", those people are belittling the other men who are gentler and kinder and nicer and help "their women" with domestic chores and baby caring. The "men" who "act like men", TO ME, are the tough bastards who beat their wives and kids and rule with iron fists and feet. They expect supper on the table at a certain time, their lusts catered to by the wife whenever, wives have no opinion, kids have no voice, they come and go when they want, spend what they want, expect the wives to obey or tear them new ones, etc.

That's what I see in my mind when about "men" who "act like men".

I don't know if I agree with the statement that directors see Scottish men as more believable hard men, because they they come from a "stronger, tougher culture where men act more like men."

Maybe all that hardness or manliness is just a by-product of a culture that is more accepting of smoking, drinking, and has socialized medicine.

I mean, if Butler is going to use generalizations, then let me do the same:

When I was a teenager and over in the UK, I was amazed at how many people my age were heavy smokers and drinkers. And the dental work scared me. The smoking age was 16, but I think that has been increased to 18 in the past few years. I believe the drinking age is still 16. In any event, I was stunned how many had been smoking and drinking long before they were legal -- many since they were barely in their teens. It seemed to almost be the norm. I saw the same in other parts of Europe at that time. Things may be different now, but that is the what I experienced back then - the same time that Gerry was also a teenager.

All of that can age a person and make men look older, and seem older beyond their years. Some people equate more rough-around-the edges as manly. Perhaps that has contributed to Butler's manly image.

As for Butler's answer - In all seriousness, I think he gets asked these types of man's man questions where they zero in on the Scotland/Aussie/whatever trend as of late. He tries to answer them with some sort of logic and explanation, but comes across as appearing to diss American men.

JMO.