Gerard Butler

As a child growing up outside Glasgow, actor Gerard Butler found his first heroes not on the stage but on the soccer pitch. Back then he had less desire to follow Sean Connery's footlights than to follow the footsteps of Liverpool standout Kenny Dalglish or Celtic's Charlie Nicholas. What he didn't have was the talent. "It's every young kid's dream to be a soccer player, to play for Celtic or Rangers," says Butler, who portrayed U.S. goalkeeper Frank Borghi, a former World Cup hero, in 2005's "The Game of Their Lives.

Join director Antoine Fuqua and Times staff writer Glenn Whipp for a live video chat about Fuqua's latest film, "Olympus Has Fallen," and his career at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time Thursday. The action thriller "Olympus Has Fallen" stars Gerard Butler as a former Secret Service agent who must save the day as North Korean terrorists wreak destruction across Washington, D.C., and take over the White House. The FilmDistrict release arrived in theaters last week and grossed $30.5 million, which ended up being the second-biggest opening for a non-family film this year.

A tale neither of ancient Greece nor of a camera company's market share, "Olympus Has Fallen" is instead a typical slab of Hollywood action in which the White House crumbles under attack, the American flag is tattered and tossed aside by baddies, and clichés rise like gods. Gerard Butler swagger-stars as ex-Secret Service tough guy Mike Banning, who leaps into action from his desk job at Treasury when terrorists initiate a bloody, expertly timed home invasion on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Once inside, he becomes the only man - or, as he modestly puts it at one point, "the best hope you've got" - to save the president (Aaron Eckhart)

If you head out to see the Gerard Butler action movie “Olympus Has Fallen” this weekend, you're probably going for the pyrotechnics: The White House is blown to smithereens, the Washington Monument dramatically implodes, many bad guys die violently. But Butler, who stars as the fallen Secret Service agent and one-man wrecking crew Mike Banning in the D.C.-under-fire-from-North-Korean-terrorists tale, sees in it something a little more … nuanced. “This movie is a hero's journey about a guy who faces his demons and finds his redemption,” Butler told The Times when asked what he thought the movie was really about.

In the new thriller “Olympus Has Fallen,” Gerard Butler plays a Secret Service agent who takes on North Korean terrorists who have stormed the White House.   But the “300” veteran may face an even more onerous adversary when the movie opens this weekend: Butler's own recent box-office history. The last four movies starring the 43-year-old Scottish hunk all have fizzled fast, and like many stars, Butler no longer can guarantee that his films will open strong. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times Audience tracking surveys suggest that “Olympus Has Fallen,” made by Millennium Films for about $70 million, could generate only so-so opening business of about $20 million (although some estimates have the film performing better)

Gerard Butler is crying. It's a sunny afternoon and the actor best known as King Leonidas in "300" had just sauntered into a Los Feliz eatery, fresh off his Harley, adorned in a black T-shirt, army green pants and a helmet tucked close to his newly trim body. He's charmed the wait staff, ordered a salad along with his café latte so his guest won't have to eat alone, and is affably sharing anecdotes. Yet the moment he revisits his time in South Africa, playing Sam Childers, the real-life gun-wielding preacher who went to the Sudan and started an orphanage, his emotions can't be contained.

Hollywood may be giving Gerard Butler a red card after his soccer film's dismal performance at the box office this weekend. The actor suffered yet another flop with "Playing for Keeps," his romantic comedy that debuted with only $6 million, according to an estimate from distributor FilmDistrict. As the only new film hitting theaters this weekend, the movie was easily defeated by five other flicks that have been in theaters for weeks. "Skyfall," which hit multiplexes nationwide five weekends ago, reclaimed the No. 1 position.

This post has been corrected. Please see bottom for details. EXCLUSIVE: When we saw Gerard Butler on the big screen in the fall, he was flying off to a world trouble spot in"Machine Gun Preacher," in which he played a real-life missionary-cum-mercenary in the Sudan. Get ready for another fact-based period story, also set in a far-flung international hotspot, from Butler, who this time around will be involved as a producer. Butler is gaining momentum in Hollywood for "The Septembers of Shiraz," the movie version of Dalia Sofer's well-regarded debut novel from a few years back.

After Gerard Butler's latest film flops at the box office this weekend, the actor could be benched from Hollywood's A team. Butler's cold streak at the multiplex is set to continue with "Playing for Keeps," a soccer-themed romantic comedy that may debut with only around $6 million, according to those who have seen pre-release industry surveys. As the only new movie opening this weekend, "Playing for Keeps" will be routed by a handful of holdovers. "Skyfall," the James Bond flick entering its fourth weekend in theaters, may reclaim the No. 1 position from the final "Twilight" installment, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2. " Both pictures are expected to bring in a bit more than $10 million this weekend.

The idea underlying "Playing for Keeps," the new romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler, is basic: A well-toned guy who is good with kids is the ultimate aphrodisiac for sex-starved soccer moms. Three very good actresses are squandered to prove the point. And yet, like the former soccer star played by Butler - all hard abs, easy smiles and golden curls, his Scottish brogue set free - the film has some of the right moves. There is cool footage of game-winning kicks, a kid anyone would adore, and Butler's playboy/athlete who seems serious about unearthing his decent side.

A tale neither of ancient Greece nor of a camera company's market share, "Olympus Has Fallen" is instead a typical slab of Hollywood action in which the White House crumbles under attack, the American flag is tattered and tossed aside by baddies, and clichés rise like gods. Gerard Butler swagger-stars as ex-Secret Service tough guy Mike Banning, who leaps into action from his desk job at Treasury when terrorists initiate a bloody, expertly timed home invasion on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Once inside, he becomes the only man - or, as he modestly puts it at one point, "the best hope you've got" - to save the president (Aaron Eckhart)

Ashley Judd stepped out in a turquoise Herve Leger bandage dress at the "Olympus Has Fallen" premiere, and people took notice. The premiere took place at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on Monday after she attended the "Dancing With the Stars" premiere to cheer on her sister Wynonna Judd, who is competing in the ballroom dance competition this season. But her curve-hugging frock continued to get her attention Wednesday. The newly single actress, who plays the first lady in the political thriller about terrorists taking over the White House, was glowing at the premiere as she walked the red carpet in her boldly hued dress.

In the new thriller “Olympus Has Fallen,” Gerard Butler plays a Secret Service agent who takes on North Korean terrorists who have stormed the White House.   But the “300” veteran may face an even more onerous adversary when the movie opens this weekend: Butler's own recent box-office history. The last four movies starring the 43-year-old Scottish hunk all have fizzled fast, and like many stars, Butler no longer can guarantee that his films will open strong. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times Audience tracking surveys suggest that “Olympus Has Fallen,” made by Millennium Films for about $70 million, could generate only so-so opening business of about $20 million (although some estimates have the film performing better)

There's a notable moment in "Olympus Has Fallen," director Antoine Fuqua's action thriller that arrives in theaters Friday: a desecrated American flag is discarded from atop the White House by North Korean terrorists and falls, in slow-motion, to the ground as dirge-like music plays in the background. It's the type of scene - bold to his fans, cringe-worthy to his critics - that Fuqua has used in nearly all of his films. "I wanted to create an exciting movie, but give it these small moments of truth," the director said, noting that he sought to show America's post-9/11 vulnerability.

How many directors does it take to screw in a star-studded piece of aggressive stupidity and call it a movie? An even dozen, and there is no punch line. Comic payoffs are MIA in the bad-taste extravaganza "Movie 43," a monumental missed opportunity of a comedy anthology that opened Friday, understandably without screening first for press. The one-joke shorts include a few successful sight gags, chief among them Dennis Quaid in boy-band hair and a hoodie. He plays a has-been filmmaker whose desperate pitch to a put-upon studio exec (Greg Kinnear)

Tough guys do dance and sing. With two of Hollywood's biggest manly men now starring in the same film, there's a good chance that some of their male fans secretly wish they were seeing Wolverine versus Maximus. Instead, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe are foes in a battle of song in the musical “Les Misérables.” While both actors have made their mark playing heroes boasting super strength and bravado, plenty of moviegoers were surprised to see them singing operatic style with equal passion and grandeur.

How do true movie stars respond in the face of a bomb threat? The show must go on, bien sur. Two hours after an anonymous phone call forced the evacuation of a Beverly Hills hotel, thrusting "The Ugly Truth" stars Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, along with a posse of journalists, onto the cozy median of the street and then across to a nearby Italian restaurant, Butler is back relaxing in his room, ready to laugh off the morning's events.

Few actors can do the "tall, dark and handsome" thing well enough to pull off a character known simply as "The Stranger." Scottish actor Gerard Butler, 34, performs such a role in the heartfelt fable "Dear Frankie," as a man who acts as substitute father for a few days to appease a mother and a young boy he has never met before.

Hollywood may be giving Gerard Butler a red card after his soccer film's dismal performance at the box office this weekend. The actor suffered yet another flop with "Playing for Keeps," his romantic comedy that debuted with only $6 million, according to an estimate from distributor FilmDistrict. As the only new film hitting theaters this weekend, the movie was easily defeated by five other flicks that have been in theaters for weeks. "Skyfall," which hit multiplexes nationwide five weekends ago, reclaimed the No. 1 position.

As a child growing up outside Glasgow, actor Gerard Butler found his first heroes not on the stage but on the soccer pitch. Back then he had less desire to follow Sean Connery's footlights than to follow the footsteps of Liverpool standout Kenny Dalglish or Celtic's Charlie Nicholas. What he didn't have was the talent. "It's every young kid's dream to be a soccer player, to play for Celtic or Rangers," says Butler, who portrayed U.S. goalkeeper Frank Borghi, a former World Cup hero, in 2005's "The Game of Their Lives.