Gerard Butler Says Filming Live-Action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Was “Five Pieces Of Hell”
Gerard Butler is one of the rare actors who gets to bring the same character to life in both animated and live-action movies. In the upcoming How To Train Your Dragon live-action remake, he’s stepping back into the role of Stoick the Vast, Hiccup’s father. While the return is exciting, Butler shared that it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
When asked about Stoick’s iconic beard in a chat with Entertainment Tonight, Butler admitted he didn’t grow it out himself. Instead, he relied on prosthetics and described the process as ‘five pieces of hell.’ He spent hours every day just getting the beard and costume on, which he called grueling.
Butler also spoke about how much he loved the experience of fully inhabiting Stoick’s world. ‘When it’s animated, you don’t get to live in that world. But now, being in the live-action version, you’re in the Viking village, standing in the arenas. It’s a whole different level,’ he said.
Filming wrapped in May, but it wasn’t all fun and games. Butler revealed that wearing a 90-pound costume in the freezing weather of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a serious challenge. However, he’s already seen the movie and called it ‘incredible,’ even before the visual effects were finished.
With original writer-director Dean DeBlois behind this adaptation, the live-action version is shaping up to be something special.
@entertainmenttonight Gerard Butler ‘cannot wait’ for the world to see the live adaptation of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’! 🐉 #gerardbutler #httyd ♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight
Alongside Butler, the cast includes Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid, Nick Frost as Gobber, and Julian Dennison as Fishlegs. The film brings us back to the dragons, Berk, and the magic of the Viking world, hitting theaters on June 13.
It’s hard not to get excited knowing that Butler and the rest of the team fully embraced the Viking life to bring this beloved story to a new level. Seeing Stoick and the dragons on the big screen in a fresh way might just make this remake worth the wait.
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