He trained as a lawyer and became an actor. He started his career at 25, and at 43 he is not yet married — and he himself is surprised by this. Interview with Gerard Butler, for whom there is no concept of «late» and who sees happiness only in the present.
His assistant is a sweet, discreet-looking middle-aged woman. It is she who opens the door to my London hotel room, where our interview is scheduled. A common star practice is to rent a luxurious suite in a five-star hotel for meetings with journalists, and all conversations take place officially, even somewhat official, with an indispensable agency condition not to ask the star «personal questions.» This means that asking about wives, lovers or, God forbid, children is not allowed under pain of being expelled from the suite. And it even surprises me that Butler’s assistant does not say anything to me in the usual inflexible tone in such cases. I even clarify: what if I ask about something … so to speak … well, not very about cinema. She shrugs, «Ask whatever you want, Jerry doesn’t hide anything from anyone.» Nothing from anyone?! It just doesn’t happen that way: perhaps the main concern of the stars is to hide something from annoying journalists…
But when «Jerry» walks out of the next room, I understand what was behind the assistant’s reaction. Gerard Butler does not at all give the impression of a soul wide open. But he gives the impression of a man of exceptional strength. Height not less than 190 cm, clarity of facial features, open look of light, transparent gray-green eyes. Antique to become — not without reason it was he who was chosen for the role of King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300 Spartans. Decisiveness of movements — of course, he was the conqueror Attila in the television series of the same name. Genuine cordiality to the interlocutor — and who else could play in the most piercing, touching «PS I love you»? Even the impersonal design suite seems to be illuminated by a warm light when it enters. Next to Gerard Butler you feel comfortable and protected. And now I will never agree when he is called a «sex symbol». If he is a symbol of anything, it is true masculinity. It’s all about her. It’s about her.
Psychologies: The name that your new film has received in the Russian box office — «A Man in Hot Demand» — seems to correspond to your image in the cinema and in the public mind. Emphasized masculinity, masculinity — to what extent does this “trademark” correspond to the real you?
Gerard Butler: Secrets of trademarks are not disclosed! But if you are asking seriously…then the answer will still sound frivolous. The fact is that here in Scotland I am a completely ordinary person, an absolutely average Scot. So I myself was amazed that in America, in this very masculinity, supposedly characteristic of me, people see a peculiarity and … strange, but special attractiveness. Well, her cinema in me and exploits. Moreover, I do not put any negative meaning into the word «exploitation». I do not want to sound like a cynic, but we all enter the life market with our product. And such is the harsh truth of life that the product that I could initially offer was, yes, masculinity, italicized in the general “movie text”. But it happened by itself, without my conscious participation. I’m used to a different feeling. At home in Glasgow, I was just a «male person» to myself.
But is there something behind the concept of «masculinity» for you?
J.B.: Perhaps the lack of flimsy ambivalence, unambiguity. That is honesty with life, with others. Perhaps it is my Scottish speaking in me — we are confidently standing with both feet on the ground. When we laugh, we really laugh. In grief, we can cry, because we really experience grief. We always look into our eyes. We make a decision once. We have no hindsight. Stones in the bosom — too. It turns out that this is such masculinity, which can be characteristic of women. Even more: masculinity is especially characteristic of women. And in this sense, I am a convinced feminist.
In what sense exactly?
J.B.: I don’t see any difference between people based on gender. For me, there are no prescribed roles for women and men in society. Moreover, in the modern world, gender is increasingly becoming a subject of free choice. What I do not believe at all is this: a man is a hunter and protector, a woman is weak and must certainly be endowed with a maternal instinct.
“I DON’T WANT TO LOOK CYNIC, BUT WE ALL ENTER THE MARKET OF LIFE WITH OUR PRODUCT”
So you’re not a defender?
J.B.: I am definitely a protector. But not because I’m a man. I am a defender simply because I am stronger than many.
But you are not shy about your weaknesses — you recently went to a drug treatment clinic and then talked about it in detail.
J.B.: I am convinced that not being ashamed of your weaknesses, not hiding problems is a sign of strength. It is what it is. And there’s nothing to hide. I really ended up addicted to painkillers after two injuries: one old, received on the set of «300 Spartans», the second — a new one, hit the rocks during the filming of «Wave Breakers», I’m a surfer there. Well, the old Scottish fondness for old Scotch whiskey is no joke either. But if you decided to fight a painful addiction, then you told yourself that you were addicted. And sometimes confessing something publicly is the only way to get yourself to admit it.
You said you could cry. And I somehow badly represent you in tears.
J.B.: And in vain. Sometimes it seems to me that I consist of extremes: either I have a reinforced concrete frame and I show unique perseverance or mutton stubbornness, or I melt like a chocolate bar, especially under a woman’s gaze …
Your parents divorced, you grew up in a so-called incomplete family, with your mother …
J.B.: Yes, I was one and a half years old when they broke up. My father, as I later found out, was an amazing, immensely charming, cheerful, generous and completely irresponsible person. I saw him again when I was already 16. I returned from school, and my mother says: father is waiting for you in a restaurant not far from our house. He came to the restaurant and recognized his father only by his sister next to him — she was sitting with him at the table. The only thing I could say then was: “Why were you not with us all these years?” And then I cried for three hours … In any case, then I felt that in us … how to say it … pain is preserved. Unspoken, unmanifested pain, resentment can sit in us for years. And it’s good if they splash out sometime in tears. Bitterness is worse. It was then that I instinctively came to the conclusion that feelings should be given vent. It’s healthier and more honest. Yes, my mom is like that too. Real fighter. Sometimes, it happens, I say: come on, mom, to hell with it. But she — no, she doesn’t let anyone down and is not afraid of a direct skirmish. This, of course, is a character, but also a completely conscious position too — honesty in relations with the world.
Does her opinion mean a lot to you?
J.B.: And it always has and always will. Anyway, when I was kicked out of a high-profile law firm in disgrace, she was the only person I didn’t know how to say that to. And not because he was afraid of her condemnation. The fact is that it was a failure of the positive program, as they say in psychological brochures. I was an honors student in school, received a scholarship to the law faculty of the University of Glasgow. And at the same time, our family is actually from the working class, and my admission to law school was something like “Wow, one of ours at the university!”. That is, I always wanted to become an actor, even played in the Scottish Youth Theater as a teenager. But as a matter of life … The Scottish actor was then alone in the whole world — Sean Connery … In a word, I decided to achieve the real. At the university, he practically shone, even became president of the Faculty Law Society. And after university, I was hired as an intern at a serious Edinburgh law firm with an established reputation, centuries-old, I must say. I was supposed to go through a two-year internship, after which I would receive a work license and be accepted into the same firm — these are the rails of a lawyer career. But something in me clicked, twisted and… broke. I was 24, success turned my head, parties began before breakfast, I was arrested a couple of times for “hooliganism” — I loved to fight … In general, a week before I qualified as a lawyer, I was fired to hell, and deservedly so. Of course, I survived the shock — before that I was a permanent winner. In addition, the Edinburgh Festival was on, and I was at the play Trainspotting based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, which later became the Danny Boyle film Trainspotting. The guy who played the lead was just phenomenal. He moved so freely, fell into hysterics so easily, portrayed glitches so masterfully … And I sharply, piercingly, painfully felt that I could be there, on stage. But everything is lost, I’m 25, I didn’t become an actor and I won’t anymore, and I was fired even from lawyers … I know what it is to feel lost, to become unreasonably aggressive … And at the same time, nothing scared me more than the need to say about my collapse mom! I was afraid of upsetting her and afraid of her disappointment. And when I said it, I realized that it would not be worse, and now I can do everything. Then he told his mother that he nevertheless decided to become an actor, and moved from Edinburgh to London. And the failure actually turned out to be a success. Although at first I worked in the kitchens of restaurants, as a waiter, I showed in malls how electric toys work. The top of my occupation at the time was telesalesman at the Sofa Store.
“FEELINGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE GIVE OUT: SO HEALTHY AND HONEST. BITTERNESS WORSE»
But what was your mother’s reaction?
J.B.: I thought for a long time that she was judging me, that I really disappointed her. But two months later I received a letter: «If you are happy, I will be proud of you.»
You are 43 — and many are wondering why you are not married and not even seen in any serious relationship …
J.B.: I just have a talent — a talent for keeping my secrets. There were relationships that lasted 5 years, 2 years, and no one, not a single tabloid found out about them. But they vying with each other wrote about Jennifer Aniston, they depend much less on age, Hilary Swank and about 50 other actresses with whom I starred, or just acquaintances with whom I spoke at an official reception — that’s where I have a passionate romance … But You know, about three years ago, when a new acquaintance asked me if I was married, and I answered that no, I was not married, the person usually said: well, you are still young. And now I noticed that people react more with surprise, like — why is that? Yes, I myself now react to this fact with surprise.
And yet — do you feel happy?
J.B.: In my opinion, happiness is if we live now, right now, realizing that only our present is real … I would like to live in a stream of happiness. The happiness of feeling the reality of your existence. I think now I finally stopped living only work. Drove the Harley through the southern states. Learned to surf. I played football with my nephews… But I’m listening to myself now… God, what an idiot I am! I drove, studied, played … Where am I running?