The Big Interview Gerard Butler Serving his audie hanks to a leather thong, what can only be called a 12-pack and a bellow of This is SPARTA!, Gerard Butler thrust his way into global parody sorry, collective consciousness in 2006, as the muscle-bound lead in the box office record-breaking CGI sword-and-sandals epic, 300. It won Butler, among other plaudits, the illustrious prize of Biggest Ass Kicker at the 2007 Spike TV Guys Choice Awards, and was the role he was best known for until his recent on-off one as the-man- who-might-be-shagging-Jennifer-Aniston. But Im not meant to ask him about that because, before I interview him about his latest film Law Abiding Citizen, Ive had to sign a piece of paper saying I wont. I didnt even know you had to sign that! he laughs good-naturedly, his Glasgow- educated accent making him sound like Billy Connollys younger brother (a part he actually played in debut movie, Mrs Brown). Its just because in every interview its like, So, are you with Jennifer Aniston? What about Lindsay Lohan?. (Allegedly he and LiLo were spotted snogging at a party in Morocco recently.) And every time, I say not true because its NOT true! And it just gets really boring. Butler has a jovial, straight-in- the-eye charm that makes you (want to) believe him. A useful skill for an actor and for a lawyer, the profession he originally trained for until he realised that: One, I hated law and two, that I had other interests, none of which were healthy. Lets just say I had 32 days off in two years and 25 of them were Mondays. Now wrestled free of such interests, Butlers clearly a man who relishes a fight, building a reputation for tenaciously pursuing movie parts. His heroic build (in Scotland Im just like a lot of other guys, but in America Im seen as a very strong, masculine guy) has had Hollywood instantly casting the 6ft 2in Butler in endless hunk roles, most T recently with multiplex romcoms like The Ugly Truth and P.S. I Love You. But the 40-year-old denies ever taking the soft route or that by taking everything from kiddie movies (Nims Island) to The Phantom Of The Opera (the movie version of the stage musical) hes hedging his career bets. The big success of 300 did not lead people to say, Oh, we want to put you in a romantic comedy. Quite the opposite. It was a real challenge. When it came to the auditions we couldnt say, Oh, heres Gerry being funny in a romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston, so we would literally play tapes of me from talk shows. It was: Look, heres Gerry spinning a funny story on Jay Leno or Heres Gerry goofing around with Conan OBrien. Thats literally how I got a couple of those parts. H is new film, Law Abiding Citizen, certainly assaults that newly won romcom image. He plays Clyde, a loving, mild- mannered family man whose wife and little daughter are brutally murdered. When a legal loophole saves their assailants from the chair, Clyde takes the law into his own hands, exacting torture porn, Saw-style justice. My manager and agents were like: I dont know if you want to do this because things are going great audiences might not want to see you in a romcom if they remember you as this guy who cuts people to pieces. Yet Butler finds its the only way he can stay interested. I cant stick I had other interests, none of which were healthy... Lets just say I had 32 days off in two years and 25 of them were Mondays The 300 actor with a newly won romcom image tells Larushka Ivan-Zadeh why he enjoys switching roles DOWN THE DUMPER... This weeks fickle finger of fame pokes The Cheeky Girls Nick Kelly In Town Tonight The former Fat Lady Sings frontman is now a third of the way through his nine-week Gestation residency at Whelans. Tonight hes joined by the inimitable Sean Miller Tonight, Whelans, 25 Wexford Street D2, 8pm, 17. Tel: 1890 200 078. www.nickkelly.ie Mark Thomas Whether its the Machiavellian workings of big business or the treacherous world of arms dealing, British comedian Mark Thomas is on hand to satirise Tonight, The Laughter Lounge, Eden Quay D1, 7.30pm, 22. Tel: 1800 266 339. www.laughterlounge.com Davy Byrnes Stories The launch of Davy Byrnes Stories which features short stories selected by Pulitzer-winning novelist Richard Ford. Contributors include Claire Keegan, Mary Leland, Eoin McNamee and Molly McCloskey Tonight, Irish Writers Centre, Parnell Sq D1, 7pm, free. www.stingingfly.org metro Arts & Entertainment life Book Now Heineken Green Spheres Times are tough for gig-goers so a free concert featuring some of rocks finest is not to be sniffed at. White Lies, The Kissaway Trail, Neon Indian and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank (pictured) are the quartet of acts chosen to play Decembers Green Spheres. Music fans can register their interest by visiting the website below and winners will be chosen at random Dec 9, The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey Street D1, 7.30pm, free. www.heinekenmusic.ie 16 metrolife Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Halloween 1982: Monica and Gabriela Irimia are born in Transylvania. 1990s: Cheeky Mum and manager Margit sends them to ballet school. They were not made for classical ballet, says an ex-teacher. Summer 2002: They move to Sussex. Their Pop Stars: The Rivals audition propels them to fame, assisted by Louis Walshs bafflement as to their gender. They become the Jedward of 2002! Dec 2002: Their debut single The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) gets to No.2. Singles Hooray Hooray Its A Cheeky Holiday, Have A Cheeky Christmas and moving ballad Cheeky Flamenco follow. 2004: Their record label goes bust, apparently owing them 1.3million. They appear on The Weakest Link. Dec 2006: The new album, In My Mind (Is A Different World A Cheeky One), is available on download only. It features a cover of the Hokey Cokey sung by their six-year-old niece. Nov 2007: Monica Cheeky reportedly dates fame-hungry rugby player Danny Cipriani. Hmm... Oct 2008: They appear on Peter Kays X Factor spoof and gameshow Hole In The Wall. Feb 2009: The Cheeky partnership is formally liquidated by the British High Court and bankruptcy proceedings are instigated they reportedly owe 60,000 in unpaid taxes. Jun 2009: They appear on the Romanian version of Strictly Come Dancing. Sep 2009: Launch their own line of make-up, presumably aimed at young women who want to resemble a trafficked Eastern European sex worker... Nov 2009: That tax bill wont pay itself. The Cheeky Girls do a strip routine on TV show Pants-Off Dance- Off, as featured on a gossip magazine website. Good grief. Can we hear the trill of vampire bats calling you home? Andrew Williams The hoTTesT TickeTs in Town We have two pair of tickets to see MARK THOMAS at Laughter Lounge, tonight, 7.30pm For a chance to win, e-mail your answer to the simple question below to life@metroireland.ie by noon today with Hot Tickets in the subject line. With the answer, please include your name, address and a number where you can be contacted between 1pm and 3pm. Entrants must be over 18. Strictly one entry per person. Q. Complete the title of the Mark Thomas book... A. Belching Out The Devil B. Hanging With Satan Vengeance Is Mine Movies where good guys grab their guns Death Wish: Michael Winners finest hour was this controversial thriller starring Charles Bronson as a nice middle-class New York architect turned bad-ass gun-toting vigilante when thugs murder his wife. Watch out for Jeff Goldblums debut screen role as Freak #1. The Brave One: Reverse the sexes and remove Jeff Goldblum and youve got whats essentially Death Wish for girls. Jodie Foster stars as the nice middle- class New York radio host turned bad-ass gun-toting vigilante when thugs murder her fianc. Dirty Harry: Gun-toting vigilantes dont get more bad-ass than Clint Eastwoods (pictured). Hes Harry Callahan, a maverick San Francisco cop out to clean up his index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html