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TW: Gerard Butler
26 January 2005
You probably wouldn't recognise Gerard Butler if he sat next to you in the pub, but you'd definitely notice him. Classically tall, dark and handsome he's a chameleon actor who can effortlessly turn his hand to action, comedy or musicals. What’s more, this Butler can play Jeeves to Totty Watches Wooster any day!
Joel Schumacher dubbed him "the Scottish Colin Farrell" and it was always Gerry's dream to become an actor. As a kid he would imagine that he was a character in the fantasy movie Krull and joined the Scottish Youth Theatre. Despite praise for his acting talents he was persuaded to get a ‘proper’ job and went to law school.
But after seven years of study, Gerry decided that he wanted to play Rumpole in a movie courtroom rather than a real one and pestered Steven Berkoff for a part in his stage production of Coriolanus. Luckily for him the spiky tongued one took a fancy to the former legal eagle and cast him in the show.
Berkoff might not always be an arbiter of taste, but he got it right this time and soon after Gerry was misbehaving as Renton in the stage version of Trainspotting at the Royal Court Theatre.
Jacking up Sloane Square was followed by a patchy screen career in supporting roles and rumours that he was to replace Pierce Brosnan as 007. His lead role in the camp vampire romp, Dracula 2000 turned out to be a box office clunker, but Angelina Jolie gave him a good seeing to in the second Tomb Raider.
Playing the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical giant, The Phantom of the Opera was a good career move, but a complete waste of time as far as his fans were concerned. You don't put a mask on a face like THAT Mr. Idiot Schumacher. What were you thinking?!
The script for his latest film, Dear Frankie struck a chord with Gerry because he was estranged from his own father for 12 years. He jumped at the chance to play a pretend dad to a young boy who thinks his father is away at sea most of the time. This sentimental slice of reality from Glasgow got a 10-minute standing ovation from its audience at Cannes.
The big time beckons. Soon, Gerry will be swinging his sword at monsters in Beowulf and Grendel later this year and I can think of quite a few old trolls who wouldn't mind a good sword swinging session from Gerry, I can tell you! And then he'll be wearing a kilt – hopefully - to play Robert Burns in 2006.
Worth Knowing
He saved a boy from drowning in the River Tay and received a Certificate of Bravery from The Royal Humane Society. What a hero.
"He really broke down crying when he talked about the sadness of this person's life,” Jerry Schumacher, director of The Phantom of the Opera, said about Gerard's reaction to the script.
Sensitive soul that he obviously is, Gerry was put out when a well-known director implied recently that he was gay: "My sexuality is my own personal business, but as for the rumours about my alleged affairs with certain actors - not true," he said.
Availability
Gerry keeps his private life very private indeed and there’s no evidence Gerry has ever been out with a girl at all! Totty Watch thinks it’s high time he had a highland fling!
So get ya kilt off for the lads Gerry and give us a twirl.
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