Spotted: Gerard Butler partying in Cape Town

Spotted: Gerard Butler partying in Cape Town



After a long night of celeb stalking and paparazzi pic-taking, I successfully managed to snap a photo of myself with Hollywood heartthrob and A-Lister Gerard Butler at Cafe Caprice in Cape Town.

The actor, known for box office hits such as The Bounty Hunter and Law Abiding Citizen, has been filming a new movie in Johannesburg for several weeks now and is in Cape Town for a break as well as to party at some of the city's top night spots, such as Cafe Caprice (in Camps Bay) and The Fez, where he's been getting the attention of some of the city's hottest women. I had my camera with me, of course, capturing all the action of what he got up to at Caprice.

I got word from various sources that Gerard, who happens to be one of my favourite actors of all time, was going to be in town for the weekend – and I was completely prepared to go all out to get the autograph and photo.

After word got out that Gerard had spent Saturday night partying at The Fez in Cape Town's city centre, I heard various stories about him being “one of the nicest people to chat to” and that he was totally approachable in person.

Gerard had visited Cape Town earlier last month, and I’d heard that he’d frequented Cafe Caprice during that time. He went back there this weekend for more partying, and certainly seemed to enjoy the attention of the women, who blatantly flirted and threw themselves at him!




And because he loves Cape Town so much, Gerard didn't arrive at the place with bodyguards or a massive entourage – he was just up for chilling with his friends from Cape Town. What a nice guy indeed, as most Hollywood stars aren’t accustomed to the blasé attitude of South Africans when it comes to spotting them in person.

Nevertheless, I received a few tip-offs about Gerard's arrival at Caprice just after 8pm, and decided to make my way there an hour or so later. Naturally, I was armed with my camera and pen, in the hope of getting the all-important photo and autograph. As soon as I arrived, I saw Gerard chatting to a hot woman upstairs. He seemed very casual in a grey-button t-shirt, jeans and a blue and beige cap (with which he tried hard to disguise himself at first).

The surprising thing about this hottie we know from the movies is that he didn't shave, appeared to look somewhat tired and scruffy in the face, had a very husky Irish accent and is quite muscular in real life. He has an amazingly commanding presence in spite of appearing quite short. I was surprised, as I seemed to be somewhat taller than him!



As soon as Gerard finished chatting to his lady friend, I positioned myself to meet him at the foot of the stairs, where I approached him saying: “Excuse me, Gerard. Can I have your autograph please?” He said, “Sure, no problem.”, then came down the stairs, positioned himself at the bar and signed a blank sheet of paper for me. Then I asked: “Can I have a photo too?” to which he then replied, “I'm sorry, I can't take any photos. If I take one for you, then I end up taking photos all night long!” I begged for a second time and again he wouldn't grant my request, saying, “At least I signed an autograph for you.” I must admit it was initially a bitter pill to swallow, seeing that I wasn't just stalking random folk like Leonardo DiCaprio or Halle Berry (with whom I’d had bad encounters in person) – I actually was a TRUE fan of Gerard and his work.



But I understood that he was partying with friends in a public space, and that he had the right to privacy too of course, so I respected his wishes. Still, I decided to stick around and party – in the hope of maybe getting lucky with a photo the next time I approached him. I figured I had to find the right approach and time it just right!

Just over an hour into my stalking experience, after I’d subtly managed to get some snaps of him drinking and chilling with various girls, I noticed him starting to snap photos with them! I became extremely annoyed. Why would he only take photos with girls? Doesn't he realise he has a male fanbase too?

Of course, being a hit with the ladies came at a huge price as he ended up taking quite a number of photos with them. Blackberrys and IPhones were the perfect accessories to have on the evening. But by the looks of things, Gerard hated posing for pictures in general. He hardly smiled for the photos and I think it's because deep down, he's a shy and private person.



It turned out that Gerard loves SA beer, and drank that and cider all night long, while at times standing up on chairs to dance and get into the festivities. As you’d expect from a Cape Town crowd, a number of the patrons didn't actually make a huge fuss about him, although from time to time there did seem to be an “overpopulation” at the section where he was standing!

So while they partied on, I ended up taking a gazillion paparazzi photos of Gerard and all the people he'd been chatting to. I even spotted him chatting to SA model Tracy McGregor for a bit. It looked like they knew each other from a previous outing, as they exchanged hugs and kisses after their friendly banter.



Back to the photo stalking! Two hours into the hunt, I ended up with a handful of blurry photos from my phone, as I didn't want my normal camera's flash to go off. I didn't want to scare him off; rather to try everything in my power to get that elusive one-on-one photo with Gerard.

I hopped outside, got close to the VIP section where he was chatting with some girls, and when I saw a break in the conversation, I took my moment to move in. It wasn't that easy though; security was tight, and there were club bouncers all around to watch over Gerard and make sure he was having fun!


SA model Tracy McGregor



In spite of having so many photos taken of him already, I think he still remembered who I was. Even though he didn't seem too happy about it, he eventually agreed - and even smiled for our photo! What a legend he is indeed.

Despite being rejected the first time, my tenacity paid off in the end and it was well worth it. Now I value his career and work even more, and the memory of meeting him will always be cherished.