How to Train Your Dragon 2 star Gerard Butler tries to live like a Knights Templar

ACTOR reveals the part of himself interviewers never get to see as he tries to live like a Knights Templar.

IN person, Gerard Butler bears very little resemblance to the giant, full-bearded ranga he gives voice to in How To Train Your Dragon 2.

But the 44-year-old actor, who recently finished filming Alex Proyas’s $100 million-plus action fantasy Gods of Egypt in Sydney, says appearances can be deceiving.

Role reversal: Butler bails on Point Break

Sydney shoot: Butler’s buff physique on show for Gods of Egypt

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Two peas in a pod ... Stoick the Viking and Gerard Butler.

“I see a lot of me in Stoick the Vast. He’s a large character and I am a big gregarious fellow myself sometimes, so there’s that big crazy Viking with him which is that big crazy Scotsman in me.”

And that’s just scratching the surface.

Butler, whose idea of a holiday is camping on a glacier in Iceland or trekking in the Himalayas, connects with his cartoon character on a much deeper level.

“I often feel that one of the reasons I play those characters is because deep down I have an understanding, mythically, of what it is to try and be noble, to be courageous, to try and live like a Knights Templar or a Viking.

“And that part of me, which is not the part that interviewers get to see, but which is a big part of my life, I also can bring to that character.”

Gerard Butler gives voice to Stoick in the original <i>How To Train Your Dragon </i>movie.

Butler, who recently pulled out of the upcoming Point Break remake due to a combination of creative differences and scheduling conflicts, describes the process of giving voice to an animated character as “mind blowing”.

“Once (your vocal performance) is finished, you let it go. And then suddenly, they present you with a movie, a world and an adventure. In that respect, you become just like the audience. It’s awesome. What a ride!”

Best known for his role as King Leonidas in 300, Zack Snyder’s graphic re-enactment of the ancient battle of Thermopylae, Butler knows what it’s like to step into the shoes of a legendary character.

Bad to the bone ... Butler filming <i>Gods Of Egypt </i>in Sydney’s Centennial Park. Picture: Adam Taylor

But in Gods of Egypt, the biggest-budget movie he has worked on to date, Butler plays his first real villain.

The actor describes the god Set as “a bit of a badass”.

“He’s the god of the desert, the god of fire, the god of chaos. It’s a delicious role to get your teeth into.

Big break ... Butler as Leonidas in <i>300</i>.

“No doubt there is a bit of Leonidas in him. But Leonidas was ultimately for a higher good. Whereas with Set, it’s kinda the opposite.

“He’s a strong and commanding leader but he’s ultimately for the higher bad.”

Gerard Butler kept it casual at the LA premiere of <i>How To Train Your Dragon 2</i>.

Originally published as How to Train Your Dragon 2 star Gerard Butler tries to live like a Knights Templar