Gerard Butler gives Scotch twist to Viking dad in How To Train Your Dragon

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      LOS ANGELES—Forty-year-old British actor Gerard Butler has starred in so many movies recently it’s hard to believe that he only began to devote all his energies to pursuing an acting career 13 years ago. He says, in an L.A. hotel room, that he could easily relate to the central story of the animated film How to Train Your Dragon. In it, a Viking boy named Hiccup decides that he isn’t cut out to follow in his father’s footsteps as a dragon slayer. Butler, who voices the part of Stoick, Hiccup’s father, says that he himself was concerned that his family would be upset with him if he left law for the stage and screen.

      “My family always knew I wanted to be an actor. I was a lawyer. But then I was fired a week away from qualifying [at a law firm] and that was the day I announced to my family: ”˜For the last seven years you thought I was going to be a lawyer. Well, I’m not. I just lost my job and I am packing my bags and moving to London tomorrow to be an actor.’ A little while later, I got a letter from my mother. I knew she was devastated by the news, but she wrote me saying: ”˜I don’t care what you do. As long as you’re happy, I will be happy.’ It was one of the most beautiful exchanges between me and my mother.”


      Watch the trailer for How to Train Your Dragon.

      The movie, which is currently playing in Vancouver theatres, also costars Canadian actor Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, as well as Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera and Butler’s fellow Scot Craig Ferguson. Butler, who recently costarred with Jennifer Aniston in The Bounty Hunter, says he was surprised at the reception the animated film received from an audience that he usually finds to be somewhat critical of his films.

      “It was one of the most satisfying experiences I have ever had. I remember Craig calling me after he had seen some of it and saying, ”˜It’s better than Lord of the Rings.’ I thought everyone excelled. Craig was outstanding, and Jay is brilliant, and the 3D animation is spectacular. Seldom have I stood up in a theatre surrounded by my friends and seen that they were just as excited as I was. Just for this and 300, that’s about it.”

      Butler is an odd choice to play a Viking, given his thick Scottish brogue. To be consistent, the producers hired talk-show host Ferguson as the comic foil, Gobber. Butler says that although people may expect Nordic voices to emerge from their characters, Scotland has its own history with the Vikings.

      “Up in the north of Scotland, a lot of villages have Viking names. They took plenty of us with them, mostly the chicks. They say that 50 percent of Iceland is Celtic blood because of all the females they stole from us, which is probably why our country only has dogs left. By the way, that’s a joke.”

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