Gerard Butler smells good—really good, which is one of his many attributes. He is tall, dark, and handsome in that irresistibly scruffy kind of way, complete with all the extras—sexy accent, rugged boy-next-door charm, and a sarcastic sense of humor that draws out a raucous laugh from whomever is in his presence. So he is indeed the perfect fit to serve as the new face of the Boss Bottled fragrance campaign from Hugo Boss—a scent with a modern day masculinity, fusing the characteristics influenced by contemporary life with a renewed appreciation of hitherto male traits like chivalry and courage.
He sat down with InStyle to talk (and mostly, joke) about everything from what it means to be a man, to that super sexy scent that he gave us a whif of (straight off of his chest, mind you).
Congratulations on being the new face of Boss Bottled! Tell us why you jumped on board.
I always liked Hugo Boss as a brand. It’s very sexy. It smells fantastic, but what really got me was when they came with their idea for this campaign, and this whole “man of today†[concept]. I was really taken aback by the ideology of what it is to be a man, what it is to be a man living a proper life with dedication and diligence. It’s hip and I like it!
What is the concept of modern masculinity that is emulated in the campaign?
The idea is this kind of balance of what it was traditionally to be a man–the tighter values of masculinity, strength, honor, nobility, which are all great values, and I’ve played them often myself. But today, with a more conventional view, [it has] a looser term where a man can also be emotional and walk his own path…be an alpha male but also not be bound by that. Success is not just about his career, but his life as a whole. So I just like that balance of classic and modern.
A lot more men are manscaping these days, and taking better care of themselves. Is that the man of today?
I’ve never been a manscaper myself, but I get it [laughs]. To me, actually, that might help me answer the last question, I think the man of today is also more dynamic, and should be allowed to embrace whatever the hell he wants to do. If he wants to stay rugged, that’s great! If he wants to spend a little bit more time on his appearance, that’s great too. It’s less of that defined, conventional aspect of “You’ve got to be a man, you’ve got to do what your father did, you’ve got to do his job, you’ve got to be tough, you’ve got to be strong.†Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Why not have men take care of themselves, take care of their skin. It’s not just about how you look, but about how you feel. It’s healthy.
Women like it, no?
Do they? I wish someone told me. I have a pretty tree shape [laughs].
Doesn’t that require manscaping?
That’s what I’m saying [laughs]. OK fine, so I manscape on a daily basis [jokes]. Different patterns every time! You should see my chest. [Down there is like a] Christmas tree, and up here [points to his chest] I have reindeer. It’s Christmas-themed. Wait ’till you see what I’m going to do for Valentine’s Day!
How would you describe your style?
My style is very simple. I don’t have a lot of appendages. Maybe a beanie hat or a baseball hat, but that’s more for traveling to get through airports and stuff. I love to wear a pair of kickers, a pair of beaten up jeans and an old t-shirt, and maybe a cool leather jacket.
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How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Probably about an hour and a half…I’m joking! I normally get up and train [at the gym]. So an hour later, I’m sweaty as hell, I jump in the shower, and maybe put stuff in my hair, then a face cream, or a sunblock. Especially because I’m living in Malibu and L.A. The sun is out all the time. In Scotland we don’t think about those things. I’m trying to get better with creams. I would say that whole process [of getting ready in the morning] is done in three minutes.
What do you find sexiest on a woman? Do you like the casual look or dressy?
I love a woman who has a good sense of her own style–when, no matter how simple it is, you can just tell she wears it well. Often times when I go to awards shows, sometimes it feels like a hassle, like ‘gosh, I have to go through all this?’ Then you get there, and you see a woman dressed up with her hair and makeup done, wearing a beautiful dress, and they look so elegant and sexy and beautiful. It’s nice to play dress-up. The woman I will fall in love with will look great in that, but she is also somebody who can completely kick it in a pair of sandals and jeans and t-shirt. That’s my [kind of] girl.
Let’s talk a little bit about the campaign for Hugo Boss. What was it like behind the scenes?
We had a blast. It was shot in San Francisco, so it was really about using the street and the architecture and the history and the cityscapes to the maximum effect, and I just had a great time. It very quickly became like a family. [Everyone was] exceptionally cool, and it was nice that they were excited about having you rather than, “Oh shit, you’ll do.†They were lovely. I had a great time in San Francisco, and I loved the commercial that was shot and the photos that came out of it.
How would you describe Boss Bottled in one word?
Sexy.
If you weren’t an actor, what would you be?
I’ve always wanted to be a forest ranger. That appeals to me more now than it did before. Coming from Scotland, I moved out to Malibu but I’m not even on the beach–I’m in the mountains in Malibu. I’m really [way] up in the canyon and so when I get home [to Scotland], I always want to get up in the mountains. I love being in the hills and the forests. I often think when I’m home, “Wow, how cool would it be to have a job that requires me to be there all the time and be away from it all?†I’d only want to do it for five days though [laughs]. Then I’d think, ‘wait a minute, I want to make movies!’ It’s a fantasy I let myself get swept away by.
Boss Bottled is available for $75 at Nordstrom and Hugo Boss stores.