Gerard Butler: Greenland actor reveals personal tragedy

Action hero Gerard Butler found unlikely inspiration for his latest role in Greenland via his own devastating loss.

Gerard Butler will be the first to tell you he’s seen his share of disasters.

The Scottish action hero, who built his career on blockbusters like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and the Olympus Has Fallen franchise, saw the frailty of life unfold before his eyes two years ago, as his luxury Malibu home was razed by devastating Californian bushfires.

Still traumatised by the inferno, Butler is yet to rebuild or deal with the emotional consequences of seeing your world disappear in an instant.

It’s that “fragility of human nature” that informs his latest film, Greenland, co-starring Morena Baccarin, which finds him dealing with an end-of-days climate disaster, as his character faces his personal demons.

“My character is a bit messed up actually,” Butler tells The BINGE Guide.

End of days. Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd and Gerard Butler star in disaster movie, Greenland Supplied: Amazon Prime Video

“He’s an addict, a liar and a father with no particular special abilities. He’s confused and frightened by what is happening to him and his family which I think is a wonderful way into to what is an epic story of this comet coming in to end humanity.”

More than just your ‘blow ‘em up, tear it down’ kind of blockbuster, the movie’s heart is as timely today as it was when Butler witnessed his home burned to the ground.

“Whether it’s the pandemic, wild fires, racial disparity. hopefully Greenland serves as a reminder of where we are right now and what is really important.”

Holding loved ones close and keeping that sense of community in the wake of disasters like the 2019 fires have been key life lessons, he says.

“Having seen my property burned, I understand how devastating it is. It’s been two years but I’m still dealing with it now. I haven’t even started to rebuild yet. It takes a long time and a lot of work. My heart goes out to anyone affected by these fires because I know what it means to go through something like that.”

He adds: “Just as you see in this movie, [crisis] can bring out the best and the worst in us. I do think that in this pandemic, everybody is a hero just for getting through it; no matter where you are or what your financial situation is. We’ve all been tested to the extreme but, as this movie shows us, there is always hope, no matter how bad things get.”

Space fan … Butler, who also starred in movie Geostorm, says he was drawn to Greenland because he’s a “space freak”.

Butler admits he was drawn to the project as a self-confessed “space freak.”

“Believe it or not, I actually knew quite a lot about comets and asteroids because I’m a space freak! I knew enough to point [director] Ric [Roman Waugh] towards a couple of documentaries that I’d seen of actual impacts and what that would be like for people. We did some extra research about the roles of first responders and what parts of society would break down, but that was more in my role as producer, developing the script with Ric.”

By comparison, his character John Garrity “doesn’t know jacksh*t about that stuff and doesn’t really care until it becomes important,” Butler laughs.

While he revelled in the explosive action scenes, the story’s powerful social message elevated the experience for him.

“This movie touched me very deeply in terms of considering the future of humanity itself and who we are. Here we are in a time when those things are being considered by all of us.”

Emerging from lockdown, Butler is about to dive into a black comedy thriller in Atlanta, before teaming with Waugh again for another assignment.

“It’s a huge, epic action thriller based in the Middle East about an undercover CIA agent whose identity has been revealed and everyone is after him.”

Building a unique skill set including stunts and action production the cocky Scot says he’s prepared for anything that could come his way.

“You do learn a lot making certain types of movies. Without a doubt the action stuff increases your confidence in your ability to handle yourself in certain situations. But, of course, coming from Scotland, that’s never a big issue anyway,” he laughs.

Greenland, streaming on Amazon Prime Video