Interviews | Posted by: gbnetadmin
Article Date: January 21, 2000 | Publication: The Sun | Author: Matt Bendoris

Interview; Gerry Butler; Exclusive

Film sex can be a chore, but someone has to do it says Gerry

LUCKY movie hunk Gerry Butler has got to grips with some of Hollywood's sexiest leading ladies.

In just about every role the jammy Paisley-born actor has landed he's been asked to strip off for sizzling sex scenes.

Gerry has also recently finished a six-month stint in London's West End where he had to snog gorgeous Mummy actress Rachel Weisz every night.

That was after close encounters with Charlotte Rampling, Tara Fitzgerald, Simone Lahbib and Nicola Stapleton.

And last month viewers saw him fumbling on a couch with stunning co-star Sara Stockbridge in the ITV series Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married.

But, unlike other actors who trot out the party line about their reluctance to do bedroom scenes, cheeky Gerry happily admits he loves every horny minute of them.

Gerry, 30, said: "I hate to admit it but I'm really beginning to enjoy doing the old romps because I've done so many now. Of course at first I was really nervous but I've really got into my stride, shall we say.

"The only time I truly had stagefright was in a movie called Little White Lies with Tara Fitzgerald.

Fondle

"This was because I've always fancied Tara like crazy and suddenly I'm been asked to get into bed with her and act out a sex scene. I was scared in case she realised I wasn't acting.

"In Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married with Sara Stockbridge I'm at it with her on the sofa and the director was like 'cut, cut - Gerry I said CUT.'

"I also get to have a fun time with Charlotte Rampling in The Cherry Orchard, as her horny, roguish manservant.

"Then I got Simone Lahbib and Nicola Stapleton into bed, before they tied me up and did a runner.

"And I recently finished up six months in the West End in Suddenly Last Summer. I play a doctor who is asked to lobotomise Rachel.

"She's a lovely girl and very sexy - and I got to snog her every single night on stage.

"But honestly how can I complain. I mean what other job pays you to kiss and fondle the most beautiful women around."

Gerry was a late starter on the acting scene, treading the boards for the first time just four years ago.

He gave up a promising career as a solicitor just one week before he qualified, but has absolutely no regrets.

And no wonder. He now boasts a list of impressive roles including the award-winning Mrs Brown as Billy Connolly's brother, The Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies, The Cherry Orchard, Harrison's Flowers with Andie MacDowell, Fast Food with Emily Woof and Shooters with Adrian Dunbar.

And his latest movie One More Kiss, starring fellow Scots Valerie Edmond - another who gets the Butler snog treatment - and James Cosmo, is released today.

His telly work includes Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, An Unsuitable Job For A Woman with Helen Baxendale and Young Person's Guide To Being A Rock Star.

He said: "I took an honours law degree from Glasgow University and just before I was about to qualify I gave it all up to be an actor. I just thought I really don't want to do this for the rest of my life.

"So I took myself off to London and after meeting the Shakespearian actor Steven Berkoff in a coffee shop I auditioned then was cast by him in Coriolanus.

"That was my lucky break, but I think I have an advantage over other actors because coming into the game at a late stage meant that I have more maturity.

"I got all the madness out my system as a student, when I had some

wild, wild days. But when I got into acting I gave up all the booze to concentrate on my new career.

"I stopped drinking because I was too wild with it and got into stupid situations. I just acted like an idiot with the stuff.

"I haven't touched a drop in years. It's not something you appreciate straight away because it's a whole life change. I just couldn't handle the devastating lows anymore. I was always reaching for new highs and it was doing me in, physically and mentally.


"When I took up acting I just said, 'Enough is enough' and it's done me the world of good.

"After starring with Berkoff I then auditioned for the play of Trainspotting. I was so hyper during my interview that the producer asked me 'Are you on drugs right now?'

"We got into this bizarre argument about whether I was on drugs or not. I don't do drugs at all, it's just that I'm so hyper, but I ended up getting the part anyway."

Mrs Brown with Connolly and Judi Dench followed before a dream role in Bond.

He said: "I only had a tiny part in Tomorrow Never Dies where I got to say one line, 'We're now 14 degrees down by the stern sir' but who cares I was still in a James Bond film and one that many people consider to the best.

"The funny thing is the director Richard Spottiswoode didn't even know what I was saying because of my thick Scottish accent.

"But I will return to Bond one day - and I want to be 007 himself."

Next up Gerry played Marty Claymore - sending up Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow - in Young Person's Guide To Being A Rock Star.

Gerry said: "I met Marti recently because his fiancee Eileen Catterson is actually my cousin.

"He said my mickey take was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, he loved it which was a huge relief."

But he is really excited about his latest role as Sam in the hotly-tipped One More Kiss.

He plays the ex-boyfriend of Valerie Edmond who has returned to the Borders to die from brain cancer.

Making the movie brought back memories of his own dad who died from the disease.

Steamy

He said: "Like most families I have had experience of cancer through my dad.

"He was virtually paralysed and in pain from his head to his toes, but he was laughing and joking to the end. It was really inspirational to watch.

"The movie was heavy to do but I think it is a fantastic film. I loved doing it."

Gerry is a real tonic in the shallow world of showbiz as a straight forward, no-nonsense guy.

And that worked wonders with difficult American actress Andie MacDowell when the pair were in Prague filming Harrison's Flowers.

Gerry said: "The movie is about a photographer who goes missing in Bosnia. I play another photographer who finds Andie, who has been raped and left for dead by Serb soldiers.

"Andie has a reputation for being difficult, but she wasn't with me.

"She is a bit stand-offish but as soon as I got talking to her and just acted as normal as possible she was brand new and we really hit it off.

"That's the way I always am. I'll talk to anyone no matter who they are."

Now he's heading for Hollywood - hoping to make his big break.

He said: "I'm going to stay in Los Angeles for a few months and just see what happens.

"I've been pretty lucky landing some steamy scenes with beautiful actresses in this country and I wouldn't mind more of the same in the States."

Interviews | Posted by: gbnetadmin
Article Date: December 31, 2000 | Publication: The Sunday Times (UK) | Author: Phil Miller

After his blooding in the latest Dracula film Scottish actor Gerard Butler
wants to play Robert Burns, writes Phil Miller

Gerard Butler has Hollywood at his feet, Tinseltown producers hammering on his door and the cream of Los Angeles' talent scouts besieging his mobile phone. As he sits in his new LA apartment, however, he is thinking only of Alloway, the Highlands and Rabbie Burns.

Just three years ago Butler, now 30, was an unhappy trainee solicitor in Edinburgh when he decided to throw inhis law career and move to London to seek his fortune as an actor.

Things happened faster than he might have imagined and suddenly he had been plucked from obscurity to play the lead role in America's Christmas movie blockbuster, Dracula 2000, produced by leading horror director Wes Craven and the makers of Scream.

Already Dracula 2000 sits at No 7 in the US box office top 10, having taken more than $6m in its first weekend.

But as the film opened, Butler's mind was already elsewhere as he began lobbying to star as his hero, Robert Burns, in Clarinda, a biopic produced by Highlander star James Cosmo. Butler, who lives in London as well as LA, is desperate to star as the bard.


Equipped with a real Scottish accent, he thinks he has a chance to snatch the Burns role away from American actors linked to the role, such as Johnny Depp.

For the immediate future, though, Butler will have to be content with completing his next film, the big-budget, special-effects-laden Reign of Fire.

This film, also starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, concerns a war between humans and fire-breathing dragons that have emerged from the earth's core to rule the world.

Butler will play the best friend of hero Bale in the film, which will begin filming in March 2001 on location in Dublin, Wicklow and Northern Ireland. He describes the movie as a bit "bizarre", but it represents another rung up on the ladder.

Some people in Hollywood, including the producer Bob Weinstein, are grooming Butler as the next big Scots actor to tread the path marked out by Ewan McGregor and Dougray Scott. He now hopes this will help put him firmly in the frame to depict Burns.

Vadim Jean, whose films include One More Kiss and Leon the Pig Farmer, will direct Clarinda and has spoken to Butler about the part.

The actor says: "Vadim is a good friend of mine, we have talked about it and he knows I would kill for the chance to play Burns. I would absolutely love to but how can I compete against Johnny Depp? The only advantage I have over him is that I am Scottish."

Butler says he is inspired by the poet because he believes their love lives are similar.

The film, to be made by Alloway Films, is based on the love letters exchanged between Burns and Agnes McElhose, who was known as Clarinda. Butler says he had a similar lengthy postal love affair with a "French woman" and adds: "There's a few similarities between us - I'm much better at long-distance relationships than those more close-up."

A source close to the Burns film said that Alloway Films were still hoping Depp, seen recently in Sleepy Hollow, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Ninth Gate, would be able to play the part. "If they cannot get Depp, they will have to cast the net wider and I'm sure Butler would be a possibility," the source added.

Cosmo is a friend of Butler's, having worked with him on the set of One More Kiss, and chuckled at his ambition.

He said that his ideal Burns had not yet been cast, and added: "Nothing is set in stone at the moment, it's all up for grabs - there are quite a few famous names in the frame, but nothing has been decided at all. Gerry is a nice boy, and of course we could consider him for the part of Burns."

Butler was spotted for the role of Dracula after taking the lead role in an American television series about Attila the Hun. Dimension Films spent some time trying to find the ideal actor for the part and producers constantly came back to Butler, after his impressive work on Attila.

Butler, filming in the Baltic, also kept reminding them of his presence with regular calls from his mobile phone. Then, after nearly four months of waiting, he won his first major role.

Since he gave up law, he also has starred as Archie Brown, John Brown's brother, in Mrs Brown and had small parts in Tomorrow Never Dies and One More Kiss.


The plot of Dracula 2000 is as grittily realistic and thoughtful as any modern horror film - that is, not at all.

In this version, the vampire has accidentally been reawakened after a hundred years in captivity and finds himself in modern New Orleans. Dracula's traditional foe, Van Helsing, played by Christopher Plummer, returns to hunt him down, aided by a young apprentice, played by Jonny Lee Miller.

Butler considers Dracula 2000, directed by Craven's prot?g? Patrick Lussie, as more of an action movie than a traditional horror film, and is looking forward to its British release in March.

His sudden success has led to the actor adopting a reflective attitude towards the vagaries of fame. "It's been playing on my mind," he admits. I think a lot of it [getting the Dracula part] was perseverance - and when I went to audition for the role, I was doing Attila and I was so pumped full of adrenalin, I was a bit nuts.

"It took three and a half months for them to pick me, but it's been a huge job for me to get."

Whatever his reservations, his success means the lifestyle of this garrulous and friendly man is a long way from the dreary legal offices of Edinburgh.

"I disliked working as a lawyer; it was a time of real soul-searching for me. I was wondering whether it was really my calling," Butler says. "Since then my life has been unbelievable, and here I am sitting in Los Angeles - but I don't take it for granted."

And as for being the next Scottish superstar? Butler laughs.

"I think the Scots are a good bunch of people, personally, they seem to have an energy that makes them do well in all areas of life. I think we can be personable and fun, and that comes out in our acting - I try to be as appealing as possible."

He's keeping his fingers crossed that this very appeal will land him the role he most covets.

INTERVIEW GERARD BUTLER: THE BUTLER DID IT

Interviews | Posted by: gbnetadmin
Article Date: March 16, 2002 | Publication: The Mirror | Author: Graeme Whitcroft

HE STOPPED DRINKING WHEN IT GOT OUT OF HAND, SO PLAYING AN ALCOHOLIC IN THE JURY RECALLED BAD TIMES FOR GERARD BUTLER

Jury star Gerard Butler knows exactly how long it has been since he last had a drink. "I'm not counting, but it's been four years, three days and six hours," says the hunky Scots star. "I was a bit of a lad in my late teens and twenties. Basically, I drank a lot."

It meant that landing the part of juror Johnnie Donne, a recovering alcoholic who suffers torment and humiliation as he tries to shake off his addiction, brought back painful personal memories. Gerard was 28 when he realised his drinking was out of control and decided to give it up for good.

"I had a year in America and ended up getting drunk for a month solid with a bunch of Irish guys I met there," recalls Gerard, now 32, who had Hollywood success in Dracula 2000. "I was still drinking when I got back to Edinburgh. In fact, I turned up for an interview baked in every way, and still got the job! It was about then that I realised it was getting out of hand and I knew I had to do something about it. I didn't go into rehab, but I dealt with it in my own way.

"It was hard, but I did it and I don't drink now - it's not part of my life any more. It's funny, but some of the most miserable periods in my life were when I was drinking heavily and people thought I was happy. Now I'm happier, but I don't have to show it. I'm a lot more comfortable with myself.

"Reading the script for The Jury gave me the creeps because of what I went through. The part of Johnnie grabbed me and terrified me at the same time. It brought a lot of stuff back that I'd forgotten and that scared me, but it also convinced me to do it.

"It made me feel as if I was living through all the misery again. Johnnie has just got out of rehab and has nothing - before he was assertive and smart, now he's lost it and is struggling. Johnnie has to build everything up from scratch because he's lost all his friends - those he does have were drinking buddies who he can't see now. It wasn't that awful for me, but it was pretty bad and you never forget that scared feeling."

Glasgow-born Gerard could just as easily have played one of the barristers in ITV1's gripping Sunday night drama series as he is a law graduate.

"I studied for five years then trained as a lawyer for three years in Edinburgh," he says. "I enjoyed the studying, but the training was the most miserable experience I've ever had. A lot of that had to do with working in civil law. It isn't as interesting as criminal, which is where most of my university friends ended up.

"After I'd got into acting I'd often dream that I was still a lawyer and wake up depressed. It just wasn't for me. I've been in court and it really isn't that interesting. It's not the kind of life I wanted to live."

Gerard's acting career got off to a painful start when he was poked in the eye with a wooden stake during theatre rehearsals for Coriolanus. Later, while making his film debut in 1997's Oscar-nominated Mrs Brown, he ended up with hypothermia after spending hours bound naked in the freezing sea. Luckily, those mishaps haven't put him off.

Parts in Fast Food, One More Kiss and The Cherry Orchard boosted his CV. Then landing the lead in Dracula 2000 brought him to the attention of Hollywood. His other film credits include Harrison's Flowers, Shooters and the forthcoming Timeline. Meanwhile, telly addicts will recognise him from Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, A Young Person's Guide To Becoming A Rock Star and An Unsuitable Job For A Woman.

Being so much in demand, it's no wonder that the handsome star is currently single - he has barely any time to himself, let alone for anyone else. He has spent the past few months criss-crossing the Irish Sea while filming the fantasy adventure Reign Of Fire in Ireland as well as The Jury in London.

"Once I filmed all day in London and flew to Dublin to work all night - 24 hours in total," he says with a grin. "So, yes, I got pretty run down and started smoking again. But I'd rather be busy than not."

It wasn't all doom and gloom playing Johnnie in The Jury. At least his character got to have a fling with fellow juror Rose (Helen McCrory). But this week when he realises Rose is married, it sends Johnnie back into the pub. The part also made Gerard aware of how complex the legal system can appear.

"If you are a barrister or QC you deal with trials and court procedures on a daily basis," he says. "But it can be different for a juror, who has no experience of the law, when they're responsible for somebody's destiny as in a high-profile murder trial.

"It was tough just doing it as an actor - we were in the courtroom for a month solid weighing up the evidence. I hadn't realised how powerful and disturbing it can be for jurors. It can affect people's lives in a long-lasting way, even after the trial is over.

"Johnnie is thrown into this highly pressurised environment and, like a lot of his fellow jurors, he's not really capable of dealing with it. It was a difficult part for me, but it was something I had to do - even if it did bring back some terrible memories."

The Jury, Sunday, ITV1,

Всем привет!
Journalist, по поводу Фрэнки много всего написано, так что я наврядли смогу сказать что-то новое, чесслово. Кстати, абсолютно точно, что Незнакомец дал денежку технику за то, чтобы помахать рукой именно с корабля, на котором "работал отец Фрэнки". Чтобы развеять последние сомнения. Чтобы сказка была полной. :) И усмешка Мэри относилась к Лиззи, по лицу которой было видно, что Незнакомец не так ей безразличен, как она хочет показать. Да и "подсунула" Мэри не кого-то "левого", а своего братишку. Будь он кАкушкой, не стала бы она такую подлость Лиззи делать. И брату тоже не стала бы. У Батлера такое занятное лицо было, когда он деньги брал, что ясно сразу: деньги эти ему нафиг не нужны, но если бы он про них не вспомнил, то Лиззи его уволила бы. Все шло так, как должно было идти. И если с самого начала ему было плевать на эту семью, то он не пришел бы на первую встречу с книгой. Это уже не безразличие. Так что верится, что усе у них там замечательно будет. У Лиззи хватило ума не оттолкнуть такой подарочек по привычке. :D
Сайт другой, кстати, у меня тоже не открывается. Единственно, девушкам не надо было тихушничать! :eek: Ну да ладно, если они решили так - пожалуйста. А мы так и бум продолжать по мере сил, правда? :D
Crisy, ты не сказала, какой тебе вариант - на инглише или перевод? Оки, разберемся...

Нора, а по большому счету разве важна профессия Незнакомца? Он может быть кем угодно, хоть автослесарем, мойщиком окон или вовсе дворником, главное - какой он человек. Важно то, что Лиззи и Фрэнки даст общение с ним. Незнакомец вернется (уж на что мой муж скептик, но и он уверен в благополучном финале истории). :D ;)

ЛаЛуна!:love :ale:



Один этот поступок выдает в Незнакомце натуру очень чуткую и внимательную. Нет, как же восхищаюсь мелкими и почти незаметными деталями, которые на поверку оказываются точными и придают фильму очарование изумительной правдивости.

я возьму переводитьButler: Actor and Phantom of the Opera

если никто не против!!!

Перевод,я не сильна в английском,увы:-(
Еще можно небольшую просьбу...на сайте были слова песенки из "Фрэнки".Тогда я на них не очень обратила внимания,но после просмотра фильма:-)))Очень хотелось бы заиметь,может можно прислать или здесь выложить?Зацепила меня песенка:)

Journalist, grand merci! Не сомневалась в том, что у тебя в копилочке этого добра полно;) Чур, я на себя беру Interviews | Posted by: gbnetadmin
Article Date: December 31, 2000 | Publication: The Sunday Times (UK) | Author: Phil Miller. Сроки, как всегда, дело проблематичное, но я всё равно сделаю!



Действительно, чего это мы вдруг... Ясно же, что человек чуткий и тонкий, какая разница, кто он по профессии.

Crisy - держи! :-)
(по-моему, я их Лу на сайт и "засылала"...)

When I was a young girl I used to dream of a lover
To be my shining knight of strenght one day
He carried me to a castle in the heavens
And battle all my dragons on the way
And he'd ride down on a great white horse
He'd bring me love I was longing for
He'd bring me charm and lasting peace on a great white Horse he'd ride away with me
Singing dum-di-de-dum-dum-dum-di-de-dum.)

When I was a young man I used to dream of a maiden
With long soft hair flowing in the wind
Her laughing eyes and loving arms would follow
When I'd sail around the world and back again
And I'd ride down on a great white horse
I'd bring the love she was longing for
I'd bring her laughter and sunny days
And on a great white horse I'd carry her away
Singing dum-di-de-dum-dum-dum-di-de-dum.

(The time has flown I find there are no dragons)
And I don't wanna sail the seven seas
(Anywhere we are becomes our castle)
And the only world I want is here with me
And we both ride on a great white horse
We found the love we were longing for
(You're my sunshine on a rainy day)
You're my April, you're my May
Singing dum-di-de-dum-dum-dum-di-de-dum.

Singing dum-di-de-dum-dum-dum-di-de-dum.
Singing dum-di-de-dum-dum-dum-di-de-dum...

*прячет скупую слезу* Эээх, трогательная песенка...:love

Ну вот нет. Ну - нет. Про деньги он спросил действительно со странным выражением лица. Причем я бы сказала - если судить именно по данному конкретному выражению лица - что деньги эти ему нужны. Но. Поскольку он их вернул и вообще таким образом зарабатывать не мужское дело, а Незнакомец у нас ведет себя по-мужски в самом лучшем смысле, я склонна считать, что здесь он сыграл.
Книжку принес - добросовестно выполняет условия контракта. :-))) В то же самое время он действительно чуткий человек и наделенный воображением - наверное, думал про мальчишку, гадал, какой же подарок его обрадует и нашел. Но вот когда они с Фрэнки идут к морю, каждый сам по себе. Фрэнки бросает камешки, Незнакомец сидит и думает о чем-то своем. Потом как будто встряхнувшись идет к Фрэнки и учит его правильно "пускать блинчики".
Мне кажется, что в фильме замечательно показано, как незнакомец привязывается к мальчишке, как ребенок становится ему небезразличен. А сначала он был чужой человек, который растерялся, когда мальчик его обнял.
Если все шоколадно с самого начала, о чем было фильм-то снимать?



Ты, возможно, просто не обратила внимания на пост Ясной или появилась уже позже, но она совершенно точно говорила здесь, что они делают сайт.

Вот:


Сообщение в этом треде от 10 марта.
Мне просто не хочется каких-то выяснений отношений и обвинений, даже украшенных смайликами.
:-)

Нет, конечно, не важна. :-))) Более того, я уверена, что "вычислить" эту профессию мы не сможем. Я, например, совершенно не представляю, как выглядят там люди конкретных профессий, да в сущности и вообще социальную инфраструктуру Шотландии я очень туманно представляю.
Но ведь и обитательницы Дж.Б.нет не могут с уверенностью сказать, кто же такой Незнакомец.
Он показан именно таким - человек без имени, без прошлого и будущего ("без будущего" - повод задуматься над возможностью будущего с Лиззи).

Помнится, один молодой человек на форуме Экслера горячо доказывал, что Незнакомец только что вышел из тюрьмы :-)))))))))))))) Личный опыт что ли сказался? Бред в общем.

Я бы не сказала, что у Незнакомца и в личной жизни были какие-то потрясения. Помнишь, я приводила пример "мужской т.зр.", автор ее считает, что Незнакомца бросила любимая женщина.
Не знаю. Не вижу я никаких трагедий в нем. В Лиззи - да. А он с первой минуты на экране очень уверенный в себе и вполне благополучный человек.
Загадка.

Нора , я с тобой согласна в том, что незнакомец не сразу проявил свои лучшие качества, но ен вызывает сомнений, что он не может быть равнодушным к Френки. Стоит только вспомнить лицо Незнакомца, когда Лиззи говорит, что глухота Френки - это подарок его отца! Но лице незнакомца появляется такая буря эмоций. Еили бы отец Френки оказался по близости, Незнакомец его разорвал бы.
Здесь можно сделать 2 вывода:
1. Джерри прекрасно справился со своей ролью, может даже лучше. чем этого ожидали. Он сам говорил, что руководствовался своим личным опытом. А переживать что-то что заставило тебя страдать когда-то всегда очень больно!!!
2. Только очень хороший фильм может вызвать такую бурную дискуссию!!!