Gerard Butler: I Put Hilary Swank In Hospital

Gerard Butler: I Put Hilary Swank In Hospital


Daily Record.co.uk (Scotland)


December 12, 2007


By John Dingwall



SCOTS movie hunk Gerard Butler broke down in tears on the set of his latest movie ... after he injured co-star Hilary Swank in a striptease scene.

It took several days to film the part of P.S. I Love You in which Gerard does the full monty.

But the shoot had to be halted for another five days after his trouser braces became snagged and belted Hilary in the forehead.

Gerard, 38, admitted his embarrassment at having to strip in front of a macho crew was nothing compared to his shock when Hilary had to be carted off to have stitches.

"I've never had to do anything in all my time as an actor that felt so ridiculous," he said.

"You have to remember most film crew are males and they're very male. Most are grips and electricians and you're standing there doing this little dance which is funny the first time. But then you do it for two days and you see them thinking, 'It's not funny anymore. You look stupid.'

"Then you almost kill one of the most famous and talented actresses of all time.

"The funny thing is that there are times as an actor where you think, 'I'm really going out on a limb here'. There are times when you're giving a lot to a film, but I felt when I was doing that striptease that I was making a fool of myself and being ridiculous.

"Then at the end of all that, I injured Hilary and production had shut to be down for five days."

But Gerard revealed that Hilary, a double Oscar winner for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby, helped put him at ease after the accident.

"Despite feeling incredibly guilty, I was feeling really sorry for myself," said Gerard.

"I was thinking I don't deserve this feeling of guilt and shame.

"The second I did it, Hilary was amazing. Blood was coming down on to her hand, tears were running down her face and you could see the lump. I was saying: 'I'm so sorry' and she said, 'Don't even go there. Not your fault'.

"I could see in that moment her concern. She knew how awful I was feeling and she was basically saying: 'Listen, this stuff happens. Don't even think about going to that place'. I could tell that she meant it.

"It wasn't like she was trying to be the heroine here and make a big deal.That night the director called me and said: 'I know what you're like. I know you're sitting there feeling like s**t. This is not your fault. You've been amazing. You've given everything'."

GERARD continued: "That was beautiful because I was feeling terrible. It's bizarre. One minute we're sitting there doing a silly striptease, she's laughing and I'm laughing.

"Then the next minute she's on her way to hospital and everybody is gone.

"I'm sitting on the bed on my own in these stupid shamrock boxer shorts and a pair of Chelsea boots with my socks coming off.

"I have to tell you that I started crying. I put my head in my hands and cried."

The Glasgow-born actor excels in the movie adaptation of Cecelia Ahern's best-selling romantic novel as Gerry Kennedy, the late husband of Holly, played by Hilary.

Preparing for his death, he has written Holly a series of letters aimed at helping her to live life to the full when he is gone.

Although her friends and relatives think the letters are holding her back, they are actually helping her to move forward in unexpected ways.

Lisa Kudrow, Harry Connick Jnr and Jeffrey Dean Morgan also star in the film directed by Richard LaGravenese, which was shot in Ireland and New York last year.

It's the perfect role to cement Gerard's status as a Hollywood sex symbol.

The in-demand star will follow his latest part with starring roles in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, which is already in post-production, as is Nim's Island, in which he stars alongside Jodie Foster and Morgan Griffin, and sci-fi movie Game.

But he admits he is still getting used to the women who have been throwing themselves at him since movies such as 300 and The Phantom Of The Opera.

"These are such hard questions to answer because if you even answer that, you're pretty much assuming your sexiness," said Gerard.

"It's like if I was to turn that around and ask the same thing and suddenly you're faced with answering that question.

"It's not easy so I can say that anything like that to me is nice. I'm not going to lie.

"You would rather have that kind of attention or comments than not, because they're sweet.

"You'd rather have somebody say you were sexy than you weren't sexy and that you were good looking than you were ugly.

"But at the same time, and I can say this from the heart, I don't get too caught up in any of that.

"Women get so excited and almost panicky at times. I do get recognised a lot more.

"When I am recognised, the reaction is often very strong, just because of the kind of movie that 300 was, or even sometimes Phantom because that's a film you either loved or hated.

"But I've seen some very, very strong and passionate reactions.

"The thing is that I'm a nice guy. I'm not so good at going: 'I don't give a monkey's about your reaction.' So I'm like: 'Ah, come here.'

"Then the next minute I'm stuck in a 10-minute conversation with someone who's crying. So that's the problem. If you get recognised at all, it can sometimes be a bit time consuming."

'Blood was coming down on to Hilary's hand, there were tears and you could see the lump'



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