Participants:
GerardButlerAngels – Linda
GerardButlerGALS – Dayna
Celtic Hearts – Kelly
The Butler Did It – Ashley
GerardButler.Net – Tamara
Warner Bros. – Susan
Gerard Butler
Gerry: (in funny “Borat” accent) Hello? This is Gerard Butler. Honestly, I wouldn’t lie. First please?
[laughter
Gerry: Hey, who have I got?
Kelly: You’ve got everybody.
Gerry: It’s funny. Everyone’s scared to speak because they don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. You’re like “I won’t speak first, I won’t speak first”
Dayna: Ok, I will, this is Dayna
Gerry: It’s not going to work!
Tamara: So somebody say something.
Linda: Hi Gerry, this is Linda from GBAngels. Hello.
Gerry: Hello, how are you?
Linda: Oh, I’m good now. How are you?
Gerry: Ok, so Linda.
Linda: Yes. Oh God I’ve been waiting to hear you say my name.
Gerry: Alright, Linda from GB Angels. How you doing?
Linda: Oh, I’m doing good. Um, I’m getting nervous. I will get through this.
Gerry: (laughs) Hey, I’m nervous. I tell you. How many websites is it? Five? Is it five of you?
Dayna: Uh huh.
Gerry: Ok. How do you think I feel? I’m shitting myself.
Ashley: Well I’m Ashley and I’m from The Butler Did It.
Gerry: (laughter) The Butler Did It. Perhaps you can help me with my first autobiography. Ashley, how you doin?
Dayna: She is an author.
Ashley: I’m fine. How are you?
Gerry: Very good, very good. Where are you based at?
Ashley: Texas.
Gerry: Ah. OK.
Dayna: This is Dayna with GALS.
Gerry: GALS. Hello Dayna.
Dayna: How are ya?
Gerry: I’m good, how are you?
Dayna: I’m doing well thank you.
Gerry: Good. I love your site.
Dayna: Thank you.
Gerry: And here’s the thing. I’ve got to be careful to say I love your site and then those go “well why didn’t you mention our site, he must hate our site”.
Dayna: You love all of them right?
Gerry: Do you understand the fine line I tread?
Dayna: Yes I do as a matter of fact.
Gerry: I see all the time, you know, you say one thing and there’s a thousand posts about “what did he mean by that?” I’m like come on. I love all you guys. Anybody that would be a fan is amazing and anybody who would start a site and honestly, that is an honor and a blessing so I think you are all amazing and I really mean that.
Dayna: Thanks.
Linda: We think that same thing of you.
Gerry: Good. I don’t like Tamara as much. (Tamara laughing) She’s a pain.
Dayna: Hey, can you say happy birthday to my mom?
Gerry: Hey, Tamara you there?
Tamara: I’m here. (laughing)
Gerry: How you doin darling?
Tamara: Good, how are you?
Gerry: I’m good. So who else we got?
Kelly: Um. Kelly.
Gerry: Kelly?
Kelly: Kelly from Celtic Hearts.
Gerry: Umm..
Kelly: Uh oh.
Gerry: How are you?
Kelly: Good how are you?
Gerry: I’m sitting here with my little puppy. I’ve got a cigarette in my mouth and I’ve got a coke. Trust me it won’t always be like this, but it’s the only way I can get through press junkets. They’re intense.
Tamara: We also have Trenna who is recording the call for us.
Gerry: OK. Hi Trenna.
Tamara: Say hi Trenna. She doesn’t say much.
Trenna: I’m a fly on the wall.
Gerry: Who am I missing. So we have GB Angels, The Butler Did It, GALS, Celtic Hearts, and that other one.
Dayna: Yeah, that other one.
(laughter)
Tamara: Yeah. Thanks.
Gerry: So let me ask you a question, do you guys all know each other?
Tamara: Pretty much.
Group at the same time: Yeah
Tamara: Online for the most part yeah.
Gerry: Ok, so what’s happening here. Am I asking you questions or are you asking me questions? And who goes first?
Dayna: I think you pick somebody to ask you a question.
Gerry: That’s so unfair.
Tamara: I have a list, I typed everything up. Why don’t we start with Linda.
Gerry: Why don’t we let Trenna be the one, she can pick.
Trenna: Yes, no, I can’t speak.
Gerry: You do a pretty good job of speaking for somebody who can’t speak. You want to pick?
Tamara: Linda, do you want to go first?
Linda: Ah, OK.
Linda: Gerry, your angels would like to know most actors have a certain film they are synonymous with, for many of us, you are the Phantom. Based on what you’ve seen and heard, do you feel 300 will be the one that you will be known for now, and would you want it to be, or is there another role?
Gerry: I think that 300, further down the line will probably be the film that I am most known for because I have high hopes for its success and its kind of timeless success as well. But I don’t know if I would say that that’s the character that I am most synonymous with. I would say there are elements of me in there. I would say perhaps I would most like to be synonymous with but, yeah, I would say in terms of an exaggeration of me, the Phantom would be the one, but I think in terms of being known, which is actually three different things really what you said, which I think 300’s the role, it will be the role that I am most remembered for, I hope, well to date. Because I just think this role kicks ass. You know, to me, as you guys know, I’ve played a lot of these different characters, but this was the one that had so much of the tastiness of those epic characters. The one I could, that was already there or that I knew I’d be good at and I’d never come across, through any of these characters, anybody just so damn masculine and tough and yet retaining all those finer parts of your personality that you kind of wish you had, those universal principles that are cool, but at the same time with a lot of edginess. You tread the line between kind of hero and villain very closely, but it leans on the side of the good guy, but the tough good guy. This is the Dirty Harry of the BC period I think. I like that, I should write that down. The rest is bullshit, but the Dirty Harry is great.
Linda: Well, thank you.
Gerry: Is that enough for you Linda? My publicist told me the other day that although it’s charming to answer questions in great detail that I tend to answer it three times and then apologize for it.
Linda: Well don’t apologize. You did good.
Gerry: What’s that?
Linda: Don’t apologize. You did good.
Dayna: Can I take the next one? This is Dayna.
Tamara: Sure.
Dayna: Ok. What did you learn about yourself from playing the role of King Leonidas?
Gerry: I think that I developed in some ways. I came to allow myself a healthy respect for certain parts of my personality. Because I spent too much time in life not respecting some of the things that others see in me, but in terms of 1) follow my passion, dedicated and strong and to have so much endurance that was required. I had to show that in different roles, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to keep it up as intensely and as demandingly as it was required there. I kind of used that to have this kind of inner confidence and strength both in the role, but then I think it’s really stuck with me afterwards. I would say that that’s what I learned.
Dayna: Good. Thank you.
Gerry: Alright dear, thanks.
Dayna: Kelly, do you want to go next?
Kelly: This is kind along the lines of Linda’s questions.
Gerry: Why don’t you ask me a different one then?
Kelly: Well, it’s a little more less, it’s got a little different spin.
Gerry: Ok. I’m joking anyway.
Kelly: In the past, you’ve said that you’ve identified with characters or certain parts of characters remind you of you like in Phantom and Dear Frankie and all that. Anything with this film?
Gerry: I think that Leonidas had a sense of destiny that, without sounding like a wet blanket, I think I’ve come to believe that the destiny of my life, the destiny of everybody’s life, but have come to have confidence in the destiny of my own. There is a path to follow that can be very powerful rather than fight that, why not focus on it, trust it and have faith. I think that one of the most powerful parts of this film is the extraordinary thing, that path with faith, not just one person’s fate, but the fates of many people combined who want to same thing. So I think that I learned a lot of that. The destiny thing struck a chord with me, and then there was the, how would you say, the controlled, strength violence that he had that I had kind of a lot of affinity towards. Not that I feel like being violent with everybody, but there is that point that you, it is amazing how much you can get into something. When I was doing that, I felt like a lion, I felt like that, like never before, playing other warrior roles had I really felt the lion heart inside me and I have come to accept it and trust it. In terms of me, Gerry Butler, living in the 21st century, that I have my own little lion heart going on here in modern terms like he did, except on a far more epic scale.
Kelly: Good answer.
Ashley: Can I ask a question now? This is Ashley.
Tamara: Go ahead.
Ashley: You’ve got me curious here about destiny, I think is really cool. You’ve always said that you’ve had fantastical dreams. That when you were 15 you dreamt you were in Krull because of the film’s impact on you and then when you saw Attila for the first time, you dreamt that you saw him, but it wasn’t him it was you, and it was like you succeeded in getting into his own life and identity. I think that you bring life to all the characters you play, but you also seem to convey their soul. I was wondering if you dreamt of Leonidas to give him a life.
Gerry: I’m sure that I must of dreamt of Leonidas. Funnily enough, I did a meditation with Leonidas the other day and it was really, really awesome and suddenly instead of actually performing the role, I was performing it, in as you say, my soul and it was amazing and suddenly I could see myself moving in my own little world of 300 with the men behind me going into a fight. The meditation wasn’t about the violence, but about the strength and control. Just kind of, how would you say, courage and almost being a leader of yourself, as opposed to others, and I just got a real kick out and I think I’m going to follow down that path. I’m glad you said that because that’s what it is to me. Funnily enough I’ve been mentioning the word mythology a lot and these kind of these universal values. I’ve talk a little bit before about that, but recently I feel like I’ve discovered, how would you say, intellectually, what I’ve always just doing instinctively. I’ve always wondered why I had an affinity for these kind of characters and why I thought I could do it pretty well. I was gathering the strength and the physicality about what was most important about them which was passing on the message of struggles we all have. In some ways, each one of those characters is my soul is your soul is everybody’s soul and how we struggle in our daily life. That kind of bigger picture you know I mean, 300 is even Xerxes is the darker side…Hello?
Linda: Hello, that’s me, I’m at the mall. Actually waiting to go see your movie tonight.
Gerry: My movie’s on tonight?
Linda: Yes, at um, I think it’s the Westfield Mall here in LA.
Gerry: Oh wow.
Tamara: There are press screenings this weekend.
Linda: So I’ll save a seat next to me for you if you’d like.
(laughter)
Gerry: I’ll be right over. What is it? What’s going on? It’s just a screening for the public or the press.
Tamara: They gave away tickets to some of the public through a couple different websites but most of it is press, but they’re seeing it this weekend in LA.
Gerry: OK. Tamara that was you that asked me that question yeah?
Tamara: No, that was Ashley.
Gerry: Oh it was Ashley. Ashley, you sounded like Tamara. I’m sorry I can’t hear your voices well enough to differentiate between you.
Ashley: Thanks for the answer. It’s great.
Gerry: I’m sorry I think I both got cut off and lost my train of thought at the same time so.
WB: Couple more questions.
Tamara: Linda, do you have another question?
Linda: Oh , yeah. From what I’ve read and seen, the love scene is more intense than what we’ve seen you do before. How difficult was it to do and was it really hard? The scene.
(laughter)
Gerry: ha ha ha I was going to ask you to repeat that, but I don’t think you’d have the courage. Hold on, some of the scenes looked like they were harder to do?
Linda: I was referring to the love scene. Was it difficult to do?
Gerry: Oh, the love scene!
Linda: Yes, in 300.
Gerry: Was it difficult to do? Technically actually it was quite difficult to do and it was still in the first couple of days of filming when I was only way too obsessed with pumping and I’ve seen myself in that scene and I’m like, damn, I’m like a watermelon. So pumped up. And there was an element of violence in it that we tried, but you don’t see much of that in the scene, but we really, you know, when you’re filming a scene like that I guess don’t know just what’s going to work and what’s going to be too much, so you really push it so there was really a bit of slapping about and hair pulling, you know, maybe I’m imagining it, but I seem to remember a fist in the face from Lena at one point. I know that I head butted her and broke her nose, so we really….he he….joking. The extent of, what would you say, that kind of ferocity of the sex and I think you had to pull back a little bit. It was, technically it was difficult, but it was also a lot of fun. If you get too precious about those things which I know a lot of actors do, then, it doesn’t work, you know, you need to be really kind of free and go with it and then it makes such a difference.
You know when I was doing PS, I Love You, Hilary and I had a sex scene and she had no ego about it whatsoever. And Richard the director told me later that it was really great that I didn’t either. That helped her to relax because there was no fussiness coming from me, you just have to open yourself up because you’re supposed to be a couple in love. Most of you don’t discuss which side you want to kiss on. No, it has to just flow, be right, open, generous, sexy and warm you know? And also, I’m an amazing lover.
(laughter)
Dayna: You’re not joking, we know.
Gerry: I have my publicist with a sign saying, remember, irony doesn’t work in print.
Dayna: And you’re very modest as well.
WB: Next question.
Dayna: If you could write your own role, what would it be?
Gerry: If I could write my own rule?
Dayna: Uh huh. Your own character.
Gerry: Oh my own role!
Dayna: Yes, r-o-l-e
Gerry: I don’t know. I don’t know. You know what, it would probably be my own show.
Dayna: Would you be a lover or a fighter?
Gerry: I think I got a pretty interesting story to tell. Probably called, the Butler Did It. You’ll be happy, although I know you other guys won’t be. Or perhaps I could call it, Gerard Butler Dot Net.
Tamara: Ah, don’t do that.
Gerry: I think. You know that’s a good question. I don’t know. As you know, Burns is something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s probably a role, although it’s pretty stuck in reality, you couldn’t have had a more tantalizing, profound like than him, but I say that because I’m short of imagination at the moment on a role that I’d actually create for myself. I’ll get back to you on that.
Dayna: Ok, I’ll count on it.
Gerry: Did anybody not get a chance to ask a question?
Tamara: Here, I’ll ask one. The last question, since I didn’t ask one.
Gerry: That’s Tamara now yeah?
Tamara: Yeah, this is me.
Gerry: Yeah, I got it right.
Tamara: Yeah. This one’s from Velvet in Kentucky, I had a bunch of people submit questions and this was one of the better ones. Obviously your being in 300 is enough to get me to the theater, but aside from you what does the movie offer to the female audience who may not be in love with you yet?
Gerry: Say the first part of the question, what was it? Obviously?
Tamara: Obviously your being in 300 is enough to get me to the theater, not me, this other girl, although yeah, I’ll go to see it.
Gerry: I knew I was going to take you up on that one, but what does the?
Tamara: But aside from you, what does the movie offer to the female audience? What would they find intriguing about the film?
Gerry: Nothing, just me. Listen, you can talk on the more superficial flirty level that there are a hell of a lot of good manly masculine bodies to be seen and I know that’s the thing a lot of reporters have been bringing up, but I would hope that the movie would offer something a little more than that and at the end of the day it’s strange that the violence fighting that you witnessed in the film. People go on and on about how incredibly brutal it is, but at the same time, it’s not. It doesn’t seem in any way offensive. Women that I am speaking to at the moment keep saying it’s strange because it is very violent, but it is also very beautiful at the same time. One of the women described it to me as the warrior ballet, there is a beautiful flow and almost like an elegance to it that you could possible have both. It’s like elegant brutality in a way and you can actually sit with it and watch it and appreciate it and almost accept it in the world that it’s in and therefore I think that in that respect women can become with the guys and enjoy the kind of pulsing adrenaline rush that’s going on, but also one of the most powerful things about the movie is that silent but very obvious connection that romantic connection, that powerful love and respect that go one between the king and his queen and, at the end, that’s what rips your heart out. You feel that. You suddenly are aware of what sacrifice really means and what people actually give up for their beliefs and their principles and what actual, felt real human conflict. That’s my favorite part of the film I think. And then, also I think that there is something about the unfeigning masculinity of these characters, both the way they act and the way they are and the way they look. I can’t help thinking it’s going to be more attractive to women. I don’t just simply mean the physical shape, but in the way they are. It feels like because we haven’t tried to look in terms of the…there is something there that is kind of honest and unapologetic about the Spartans. If you don’t live in a way that ethically a lot of people would agree with now, but buy why they do that if you believe them, by the end of the film you kind of love and respect them all the more for that because we never bet for anybody including the audience. There is something simple and masculine and honorable about that and I think, to me, I’m not a woman, but I can’t help think that would really appeal to them. That’s what I’m hearing. And that’s right from the top dog. Hilary Clinton herself. She called me. And said, “You’re a dick.”
WB: Thank You.
Gerry: That’s it?
WB: That’s it.
Gerry: Oh well, ok. Bye.
Dayna: Thank you so much.
Gerry: Tamara, who else, Dayna, Kelly, did I get it right? Oh and Trenna. Ok, are you guys going to stay on the line with each other or is that it?
Dayna: I’m missing my mom’s birthday party.
Linda: I have a movie to catch.
Gerry: Well listen, I hear that guy’s great.
Dayna: Thank you so much.
Tamara: And Gerry, do you know today is the sixth anniversary of GB.Net?
Gerry: No, I didn’t know that.
Tamara: This is the day we launched it.
Gerry: Wow. Hear that, today is the 6th anniversary of GB.Net and it just passed 7 million hits. Listen, congratulations Tamara, that’s amazing.
Tamara: You too.
Gerry: Great job. Thank you everybody. You all do an amazing job and you know what, you were the guys that were there first and when 300 comes out, trust me, it’s in my heart that you were the ones that were there before all of this. So. It’s a ride, we’re all in it together.