All the “falls” and battles of former alcoholic Gerard Butler

Butler’s film career began when he was 27, which is very late by today’s standards. He managed to work as a lawyer, cashier, illuminator, almost committed suicide and barely got rid of alcoholism.

The first major film role was the episodic role of Archie Brown in the melodrama Mrs. Brown (1997) about Queen Victoria (Judi Dench). According to the plot, Butler had to spend a lot of time in cold water, because of which he was even taken to the hospital once!

I must say that the training did him good: on one of the last days of filming, on his way home, he saved a boy who was drowning in the river and even received a prize.

Interestingly, since 2013, Butler has been dating “Miss Brown,” interior designer Morgan Brown.

Butler gained notice after starring in Dracula 2000, but the film flopped at the box office. They even wanted to invite him to audition for the role of the new James Bond, but Pierce Brosnan agreed to shoot two more films, and this opportunity was missed.

But Andrew Lloyd-Webber saw Butler as an excellent candidate for the role of the Phantom in the film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004). It is interesting that Gerard performed all the vocal parts himself, despite the complex make-up and the difficult role!

Butler is considered one of the most failed actors of the current century – many of his roles have received negative reviews from audiences. But this list certainly does not include the brilliant role of King Leonidas in the movie “300 Spartans” (2007)!

With carefully selected warriors, Leonid wants to repel the thousands of Persian armies. And although he failed, news of the Spartans’ exploit spread quickly throughout the ancient world. In the interests of the perfect press, Butler did not leave the gym for several months.

In 2008, Butler played one of the lead roles in Guy Ritchie’s Rock ‘n’ Roller, showing that he can literally transform into anyone. Bandit One-Two on her face turned out surprisingly charming.

And even though his fate turned out to be unenviable, Gerard’s career continued to rise. At that time, Butler in the United States ended up being reincarnated as Jerry: he did not like his colleagues to pronounce his name with the accent on “a”.

In 2013, Butler became secret agent Michael Banning in the disaster film Olympus Has Fallen, about an attempt to seize power in the United States. The role opened a new chapter in his career, although many critics considered the film an inept parody of James Bond.

Following box office success, London Has Fallen was filmed three years later, where events are already unfolding in Britain’s capital. In the summer of 2019, Angel Has Fallen was released – the action returned to the United States, the president, saved by Banning, is in the hospital and his minions are trying to take all the power for themselves. Butler’s hero saves the world again… and recently, we learned that at least three more films in the “Falls” cycle are to come. Well, what a beautiful birthday present!

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