Gerard James Butler needs no introduction. From 300 to Olympus Has Fallen, Butler has some mind-blowing performances to his credit. This time, the 55-year-old actor is trading his animated voice for a full costume and presence in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon—a remake of the beloved DreamWorks franchise, helmed by three-time Oscar nominee Dean DeBlois.
What was your reaction when you were presented with the idea of reprising the character of Stoick in this film?
It’s funny because when we were making the animated movies, I would say, ‘God, imagine if you really had to try and embody a character of that size. How would you actually do it?’ But I never thought it would happen. I thought I was done as Stoick, and then, kind of out of the blue, Dean DeBlois asked me to actually do it. He’s a good friend and I really couldn’t say no.
The original How to Train Your Dragon is a huge favourite among people all around the world. What was it that excited you about making this version?
It was the chance to work with Dean again and to actually enter this world. I was excited to really become this character and enter the Viking through the incredible sets they built for this movie. I was excited to reimagine it, to make it even bigger and better for the fans and for a new audience as well.
Stoick had a very impressive beard, of course. How did you enjoy that look?
Yeah, it’s quite a look. And the beard, like everything with Stoick, was huge. It actually came in five different pieces and, including the wig, took hours to put on. I think it was three and a half hours every day to get ready with the hair, the beard and all the costume. It was a lot. But I got to work with the most amazing makeup and costume team. They really helped me own the character.
Did playing out the same story give you a sense of déja vu at all?
It was a little bit weird, but there were so many things going on with this role that it didn’t really feel like doing the same thing over again. The challenge this time was to make Stoick feel like the big, strong Viking we all know and love in a physical sense but then to also be able to convey the emotion of his relationship with his son. There were a lot of different layers to the role.
How was getting to shoot on location in Northern Ireland?
Cold! It was very cold and kind of miserable. We arrived there in December/January. So, it was kind of at the worst time. It was also windy and soaking wet. It was lucky because I had seven thick layers on. So it may have been the coldest, wettest day on set, but under 90 lbs of fur, it was like a furnace for me. Everybody else was freezing, but I was on fire.
