This
time, Dracula is a Glaswegian. As the curtains
rise this week on Wes Craven’s latest gorefest,
Dracula 2001, it won’t be the grim,
powdered face of Christopher Lee staring back
at the whimpering audience. Instead, it will
be that of Gerard Butler, a teetotal, former
solicitor from Glasgow, who quit the law to
become a film star.
It is an unlikely story. But with the starring
role in Dracula already under his belt and Bond
series producer, Barbara Broccoli shortlisting
him as a potential 007 when Brosnan quits the
martinis, 31-year-old Butler’s successes
read like a fairytale.
And the roles keep coming. With parts in forthcoming
sci-fi flick, Reign of Fire and Michael Crichton’s
latest outing, Timeline, also in the bag, Butler
is now being tipped to follow fellow-Scot Ewan
McGregor into the Hollywood big-time.
Although born in Glasgow, Butler, who is the
youngest of three children, spent much of his
early life in Canada where his father worked
as an accountant. Memories of those early years
are marked by the pain of his parents’
divorce. His alcoholic father drifted out of
his life when Butler was four and only returned
12 years later. Despite problems at home, Butler
shone in the classroom, becoming head boy before
earning a place to study law at Glasgow University.
But Butler never aspired to a career as a solicitor.
Passionate about the stage from an early age
and consummating his love as a 12-year-old playing
a street urchin in Oliver! at the King’s
Theatre in Glasgow, Butler instead dreamed of
becoming an actor.
So, finally deciding that his job in an Edinburgh
law firm was leading him nowhere, Butler decided
to take a new tack. He gave up drink - which
he admits he turned to during his frustrating
years as a lawyer - and his job, and set about
fulfilling his dream.
After a brief stint in London, working as everything
from a waiter to a clockwork toy demonstrator,
Butler had his big break while helping out on
the set of Steven Berkoff’s production
of Coriolanus. Spotted by Berkoff in the café,
Butler asked if he could read for the play.
Berkoff was impressed and Butler bagged the
part.
And soon he was on a roll. With the part of
Mark Renton in the stage version of Trainspotting
following soon afterwards, Butler quickly focused
his attentions on the big screen, making his
debut as Billy Connolly’s brother in the
Oscar-winning Mrs Brown.
Auditioning
for the role of Dracula the day before filming
for Attila began in Lithuania, Butler, who was
still largely unknown at the time, was not the
casting director’s first choice for the
role of the infamous bloodsucker. But by hassling
Miramax for three months via his mobile phone,
he eventually secured the role. "Dracula is
the ultimate bad-ass," he jokes. "Especially
for the guys. He can do pretty much what he
wants and yet there’s a depth to him as
well."
But with Dracula now on his CV, this Glaswegian
may not be coming home. "I bought a place down
in London last January, but I’ve only spent
11 days there because I have been out in LA
so often," explains Butler. "Well, that’s
where the work is these days."
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