Pyroradio.com recently caught up a very humble and barmy Gerard Butler best known as Spartan King Leonidas in 300 which had the classic line ‘THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAA’! In Rocknrolla Butler gives a great performance as One Two who’s the de facto leader of three small time cons know as the Wild Bunch. Check out the interview!
Pyroradio.com: When I spoke to Idris Elba he said you were very naughty on set what was that about?
Gerard Butler: I’m a naughty guy, I’m a naughty boy and to be honest most of these guys are pretty naughty. I can’t remember what things I done naughty though! But with me, Idris(Mumbles) and Tom(Handsome Bob) we were the Wild Bunch, they weren’t gonna cast pansies it was a bunch of naughty boys. It’s funny it’s like with them little bad babies, it’s not like they’re even trying, they just are, they can’t help not to get into the shit or fall into the toilet. Particularly Idris he loves to shove his own fist up his ass, it’s a party piece of his(laughs).
Pyroradio.com: The Wild Bunch were the most relatable characters in the film for me
Gerard Butler: Yeah definitely, their the characters you can most likely see yourself in, their not the outstanding gangsters, the billionaire Russians, the junkies, their kind of just the regular guys who have fallen on the other side of the criminal line and in some ways if you fell into that you could become the same person. I can see myself in all of them, I think that’s why it was fun. 1 it was written that way, 2 you kind of knew you could take that to other levels, it’s funnier because their more regular guys, it’s funny with the situation they’re in. I think they are charming in a mad way.
Pyroradio.com: The dancing scene was mad how was that to shoot?
Gerard Butler: I had a lot of fun, it wasn’t just me and Thandie dancing, Guy was in the background going mad for it too swinging his hips. Thandie and I when we were doing other scenes together we were planning it and throwing stuff together for it. So we rehearsed some move and improvised.
Pyroradio.com: What was it like working with Guy Ritchie?
Gerard Butler: It was a really fun movie set. It was a great script and a great cast. I had always heard that Guy was a wanker but he wasn’t at all (laughs) I’m joking! He was lovely though he ran a tight ship. His 5 4 3 2 1 way of counting down to filming was great, it’s a very effective way cutting down filming time but we had a great time.
Pyroradio.com: You seem to be stripping of in all your movies with 300 and P.S I Love what’s that about?
Gerard Butler: (Laughs) Trust me if I could leave my clothes on in a movie I’d rather do that any time, but if I’m gonna get undressed I’m gonna do it as well as I can(Laughs). Whenever I hear people say that’s sexy for the few people that say that I think are you insane!
Pyroradio.com: What was the roll that cracked it for you?
Gerard Butler: It depends you know, in terms of in the business with people saying that that guy can act it was in Dear Frankie, it didn’t make a lot of money but it was the movie that if the directors watched it something positive would come out of it, The Phantom Of The Opera was another one it didn’t do that well financially. But if you mean REALLY cracking it would have to be 300. I think there’s something to be said for sticking to your guns and doing what you believe in, because that will become the most effecting, I remember when I was doing Dear Frankie I thought the movie was a beautiful movie, I didn’t care it didn’t do well, I think it’s sad it got lost in the haze of marketing. But then again I made Dracula 2000 (laughs) and with that Joel Schumacher saw me in that and said I wanna work with that guy one time, from that came the Phantom Of The Opera so it show’s if you do shit that might even work out (laughs).
Pyroradio.com: You grew up in Glasgow and lived in London are cities the same all over, do they have this sort of culture?
Gerard Butler: I think there’s a lot of similarities between Glasgow and London, there’s a lot of the same sort of characters they just have different accents, I think with every city and society they have similar echelons of that society middle class, working class, criminals from what I’ve seen.
Pyroradio.com: What do you miss most about Scotland living in the states?
Gerard Butler: Two things mainly, 1 the people and 2 the countryside. It’s such a beautiful country. It’s therapy when I go back. Everything relaxes, the people and the humour when you experience that. I was with a friend from Scotland in New York and my sides were splitting just the way he was saying things I thought I was gonna literally piss myself listening to him, I miss that about Scotland the sense of humour and sharpness that you share with your buddy’s .