| Sex and thugs and rock 'n' roll - The Northern Echo |
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September 4, 2008
Actor Gerard Butler was able to draw on his upbringing in Glasgow for his latest movie, Rocknrolla, in which he plays a small time crook. He talks to Steve Pratt about working with Guy Ritchie on the film and about an embarrassing encounter wife his wife, Madonna. ACTOR Gerard Butler regrets saying it the moment the words leave his mouth. "Yes, Madonna stuck me in the bum," he admits, before realising this will look a little peculiar in print. What he means is that she gave him an injection in the bottom, having brought along "a bit of a medicine chest" to the set of new British movie Rocknrolla after he became ill. The reason for her presence was simple – the iconic singer is married to the movie's writerdirector, Guy Ritchie. "Fortunately Guy was around. It happened in a Land Rover with me standing with the door open on one side and Guy standing guard on the other. Me with my pants half down and Madonna in the back seat jabbing me," recalls Butler. "It was a really interesting moment in my life, my career." Butler plays small-time crook, One Two, in Rocknrolla, a story of "sex, thugs and rock'n'roll" in London. He comes fresh from the US box office smash 300, in which he starred as Spartan King Leonidas, plus the romantic drama PS I Love You with Hilary Swank and children's movie Nim's Island opposite Jodie Foster. He's in a cheery mood, clearly happy to be part of the ensemble cast of Rocknrolla that also includes Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong and Thandie Newton. His light-hearted storytelling reflects how he feels about the movie. "It's a fun film, so I try to keep it light," he says. "I always think if someone gives a serious answer – and maybe this is something from childhood – the atmosphere kind of falls flat on its face." He knew to expect a certain rhythm and tone from a Ritchie film and knew there was a great script and great cast but "you always worry that it won't come together and, for some unknown reason, won't work," he says. "That's been my experience, you think it's got this, this and this. Then you see it and it has something else that brings it down. Rocknrolla, when I saw it, worked. A rollicking good time, great fun, great characters." With a sequel a possibility, he says he'd love to "work with these guys again". The world of criminals isn't entirely unknown to him. "I know gangsters anyway and there were always a couple hanging around set. Or ex-gangsters," he says. "The good thing about the guys in the film is that they're small-time gangsters, they don't hang around like the mafia. They're like normal guys slightly on the other side of the law. "Not everything they do is illegal, but quite a lot of it is. In some ways, they're just like normal working class guys. They're quite smart, streetwise, good people." His acting ambitions were put on hold while he studied law for seven years before returning to the stage in London. He doesn't want to overstate his background but grew up in a very working class area where he came across criminal elements. "Funnily enough, when I got into law in some ways I became even more involved because then you start going out and you're in the club scene in Glasgow, so it's real mixture of middle class and crazy people. Like gangsters and junkies. "It's all kind of thrown together, so I've knew a few criminals and a few gangsters but it's never been a big part of my life. I don't want to exaggerate that, but growing up in Glasgow endows anybody with a personality, for better or worse. There's a lot of Glasgow in me and a lot in One Two." He retains his own accent in Rocknrolla, which is just as well considering his attempt at an Irish accent in PS I Love You. "I've had a bit of stick," he admits. "A couple of people have said it wasn't bad, other people said it wasn't good. You know what? I tried. "It's like, was Mel Gibson's accent in Braveheart perfect? No. Was it awesome he made a film about Scotland I was proud of? Yes. So I'd forgive him anything for that." He and the other actors playing Spartans beefed up considerably for 300 but Butler has not maintained the intensive physical training. "I couldn't keep that up, it's long gone," he says. "If I walked about with that physique, I'd looked ridiculous in other roles I played. I just did a romantic comedy, most of your roles are Everyman. But physically, I couldn't keep it up." Rocknrolla was physically demanding in some places but not compared to other things he's done. He likes to ring the changes. "Sometimes it's a relief to go into an action film and deal with that, live in that realm and get away from perhaps the more involved acting roles. Likewise, after an acting role, it's nice to base yourself in something with more character and humour that doesn't involve pumping weights six hours a day." Perhaps the dodgiest scene involved being tied spreadeagled to a bed face down while a pair of sadistic Russian hitmen prepare to torture him. "I do remember when they were jumping about they had proper big, old machetes and I was a little worried one of them was going to fall on top of me and the machete was going to go right through my brain. Stranger things have happened," he says. apologise to the nation of Ireland for completely abusing your accent. I realise that it's a much more beautiful language and accent than what I gave, but I tried my best. I made you look like funny people... |