FROM THE HEART

Gerard Butler opens up about a beloved role, his late mom and his path to Tinseltown

- SUSAN HORNIK

When Gerard Butler had the chance to screen his latest movie – a live-action remake of the animated blockbuster How to Train Your Dragon – he barely recognized himself, which is understandable considering his transformation with costume and makeup. But the actor’s reaction?

“That’s not even me – that’s my mom.

“Normally, I’m watching me and I’m criticizing me, but I was like, ‘Is that even me?’ I almost saw more of my mom in there.”

Reprising his epic character of Stoick the Vast in the reimagining of the DreamWorks film was a bittersweet process for the Scottish star, who couldn’t help but have his mom in mind.

“She was very, very ill in the middle of [my making] this movie,” Gerard, 55, revealed during a press event attended by Hello! Canada. “I was in Belfast, so I would go back a lot of weekends to see her. That was very emotional, and it brought a lot of stuff up for me as Stoick.”