Stepping inside the male mind

On September 11, The Ugly Truth, a romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl releases all over India. Excerpts from an interview with Gerard Butler:

What’s your character about?

I’m running this show, which is all about relationships, men, women, sex, what men should do to get more sex, to get the kind of relationships they want, and also what women have to do as well. So he’s the kind of person that guys would love and women would hate.

The film addresses an interesting concept about modern day TV news. We used to think the medium was for news and information. Abby is trying to produce a show that gives local flavor but in reality, the people want controversy.

I agree. Even though we make light of it, it is sad. It is understandable why people are attracted to what goes on inside the heads of others and can get some interesting viewpoints of that. People do the same with cooking shows and wild life shows. All those reality self-help shows are everywhere. We play on that but I think it is sad for that to happen to increase ratings. I have seen it all over England. Why are we sitting and watching for hours someone sleeping? That is very sad.

There is a sexual chemistry that goes on between the two main protagonists. While we don’t have a sex scene, we do have a great Latin dance. Were you surprised at how seductive that moment in the film turns out to be?

I was very surprised at how explosive it turned out to be. I took a few lessons before the film. Katie already knew how to dance in a Latin way. I took some salsa lessons. I thought I would have a problem remembering the moves but once we started, it just happened. I agree. The movie needed that scene because it evolves their story so much. They go from that antagonism into this moment when it all explodes. Where did that come from?

Does dancing feel sexy to you?

I don’t know if I felt sexy, but it was sexy when we were doing that dance. Sometimes I have to train for things and I get really nervous. When I did P.S. I Love You, I had to learn to play guitar and sing in front of people. When we got on set, I could only do one or the other. If I played guitar, I couldn’t sing and if I didn’t play, then I could sing. Or I could do those but I couldn’t move. I could never do all three at the same time. So I was afraid when I showed up on set, that I wouldn’t be able to salsa. But it all just happened and it was one of those rare moments when people commented on how great that scene was. It was the perfect moment in the movie for that to happen.

Did you know Katie before this?

No, we just met right before we did the film. We had a lot of fun together. She is an amazing woman and we had a blast doing it. She is smart and razor sharp sexy. Katie never makes a mistake. Within two rehearsals, she is just there and then goes further. I am a little more scattered than that. I think we’ve had great chemistry together. 

The two of you had some very colorful sexual dialogue. Do you ever have any inhibitions when you have to talk like that in front of a woman?

I speak like that. It is actually one of the reasons why I got this role. I was just working with the other producers on a film and I was always brooding. One night we go out for a meal and I am telling my sexist jokes and these guys are looking at each other and smiling. They might have thought I was this serious kind of guy. Anyway, I wonder what the meeting is about and they tell me that they have a script they want me to read. When I read it, I knew it made perfect sense and what they were thinking when I was telling those jokes.

So now do you have this reputation as a jokester?

I don’t know. It is not the way I think. It is not my view on sex or relationships. Women do find some of this humour funny because it is who men are. At the end of the day, that is what this film is about. This is the way men think about women and this is the way women think about men. I think my humour is a Scottish thing. We love rude jokes. We love jokes that really push the envelope.

What challenged you while making the film?

I feel like even in all the roles I’ve played, I have never even had a tenth of the dialogue that I have to say in this film. I just never shut up. I have opinions about everything. I have a smart line for everything. I have a curious line about everything.

You’re suddenly all over the news. How do you feel about your new celebrity status outside the UK?

You’re still the same person who has to deal with getting out of bed every morning, going to the toilet, whatever. I think there’s a part of you that always imagines that if you encounter success, every fibre of your being will change. You know your whole cellular structure will change. And you will suddenly think and feel and behave like a different person. And you don’t.