Scotland can claim James Bond, Shrek and Hagrid as its own, but now Gerard Butler has brought Scottish Santa to life in his latest role.
He plays St Nick in a new TV animation, The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland.
Butler said a Scottish accent “really lends itself to a dotey, bombastic, fun Santa” and he could immediately envisage playing the role.
The Paisley-born actor said he will be heading back to Scotland for the holidays.
“I almost always come back. It’s an important time to check in”, said Butler who now lives in Los Angeles.
He added, “That’s what Christmas is – coming together, seeing your family, seeing your friends, whatever it is you do.”
Butler is best-known for gritty action-packed roles in 300 (2006), Olympus has Fallen (2013) and Kandahar (2023) but thinks finally playing the man in the big red suit is a dream role.
See interview: https://bbc.com/news/videos/c623g9rdg1po