Gerard Butler on Fragrance, Spray Tans, and the One Thing He Can’t Resist

http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2014/10/gerard-butler-hugo-boss.html

Gerard Butler on Fragrance, Spray Tans, and the One Thing He Can’t Resist
by Lexi Novak, Associate Editor, October 7, 2014, 9:00:00 AM


Gerard Butler has the kind of ruggedly handsome good looks and charming Scottish accent that make women blush—that is, if you’re into attractive, well-suited men with law degrees and piercing blue eyes. And now, he's the face of Boss Bottled, a new fragrance by Hugo Boss. We sat down with him to discuss masculinity, massages, and his guilty pleasures.

What’s your earliest scent memory? “My first fragrance was probably an Egyptian musk. I just remember thinking that it was such a timeless scent. But I have a lot of scents from Scotland, because we used to travel as kids and go up into Highlands and the mountains and the lochs: pine forests, smells of the seaside, and then especially burning wood. I love the smell of burning wood. There are a lot of cottages up there where you pile wood onto the fires. I think of that, and I think of home and comfort and family and Scotland.”

Tell me about the weirdest beauty-related thing you’ve had to do for a role. “Weirdly enough, it was for one of the most masculine roles. It was for 300. We had to do a lot of spray tans, because we were Greek. There used to be lines of stunt guys waiting to go in. We also had to shave our chests to look more smooth and oiled. And then, at the same time, I didn’t shave my beard for probably six months. And even with that, we put extensions in. My beard was probably about eight inches long. I could have killed someone with it.”

Do you treat yourself to any beauty services? “Oh yeah, I’ve had facials before. I’ll probably have a facial once a year when somebody forces me to. They’re like, ‘Dude, look at you. You’ve gotta.’ So I’ll go and have a facial. Massages I get—deep tissue. I need them because I train and do a lot of stunts. I’ve had massage therapists say they go harder on me than anybody. There are spots that people have been digging into for years, and now I’ve become so immune to it, I’m like, ‘Can you stand and jump up and just land on that point?’”

In terms of red-carpet prep, what are the best and worst parts? “It’s fun, because often you have a team of people with you. So everybody is gathered around, and it’s exciting. You’re catching up. You’re talking about the event. And then the worst part is probably the grooming. But I always try to keep it very quick. I don’t put too much time or effort into it. At the end of the day, I’m still a man. I’m still a dude. And I try to keep that to a minimum, but you still want to look good for the event.”

What’s the first thing you think of when you smell Boss Bottled? “When I smell any fragrance, I think of myself in situations moving through my day, like in a meeting, or walking past people, whatever it is I’m doing. When I put that spray on, it gives me that sense of confidence. So I think of those situations in a stronger, more comfortable, exciting way.”

Any guilty pleasures? “It’s such a boring answer, but I do have a sweet tooth. I’m very well behaved, but when I let go, I let go. It’s all or nothing with desserts, like the blueberry muffins at Starbucks and the lemon slice. Sometimes I’ll get them both at the same time. Maybe even throw in a brownie.”

As an ambassador for the Man of Today campaign, what do you think makes a man a man? “I think it’s a real balance of traditional values—masculinity, strength, honor, nobility—mixed with something a little more emotional and easy and unconventional. Like an alpha male who also has a softer edge to be compassionate and loving. I think in days gone by, it was harder for a man to be able to act that way. You kind of got stuck in that conventional mode of just being a tough guy. Don’t show your feelings. Don’t show your vulnerability. And I think that’s changed, and that’s a beautiful thing.”