Video:Gerard Butler Interview - The Ugly Truth
with Rebecca MurrayGerard Butler helps Katherine Heigl learn how to flirt and handle men in the romantic comedy 'The Ugly Truth.' At the film's premiere, Butler joined the real guy who inspired his character, Steve Santagati, and his co-stars to chat up the film.
Transcript:Gerard Butler Interview - The Ugly Truth
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the premiere of The Ugly Truth.
Gerard Butler - 'Mike' in The Ugly Truth
Was it fun to have a dialogue-driven character rather than an action-driven character this time?
Gerard Butler: "Yeah, yeah. It's fun to be able to get into the meat of scenes and talk and expound and play, rather than always play the more silent, brooding hero because I have all those things going on in me, but there is that big part of me that's very kind of silly and energetic and bouncy and charming, if I dare say that myself. So for me to go and venture into that world and do it with a script that is so funny and so different and fresh, that's what I like on this job. It's a job I'm blessed to get a chance to do that."
It's a good script but you guys got to do a lot of improv too, right?
Gerard Butler: "We got to do improv. I wouldn't say we did a huge amount of improv. When I come across a script this good I'm like, 'Don't have me mess it up with improv." There's scripts you want to do a lot of improv with but this... I've got to say I'm no Seth Rogen. Those guys are genius at it. But yeah, we did a bit. But sometimes there's a beautiful rhythm to a script and every line has it, and this is what this script had. And if you can get into that song and dance and get it going with your partner, then the thing takes off like magic - and I think that's what happened here."
Steve Santagati - Author of The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate--and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top
Steve Santagati: "He's based on me, my brand of relationship advice and all that stuff."
Are you really like that?
Steve Santagati: "I'm worse. But I'm better and worse. What would you rather have from a guy: do you want the truth or do you want me to placate you so you can live the way you're living and not break your habits for the rest of your life?"
I want the truth.
Steve Santagati: "You want to know how guys think. The difference between me and everybody else is I put it not only in terms women can understand - like I tell them the truth with female sensibilities - but I lived it. I was a bastard. I cheated on you and I dated five of your friends, and I did all that stuff. I wasn't sleazy, but you know what I'm saying? I lived it, and there's a big difference."
You lived it - so you're not doing this anymore?
Steve Santagati: "No, I do."
Why are you using the past tense then?
Steve Santagati: "Because you're taping it."
So how close is [Gerard Butler's] character to you? Have you seen it?
Steve Santagati: "He's almost identical. I have seen it. He's almost identical. There's only two small scenes where I would have handled it a little differently in real life."
You would have handled it much more openly or...
Steve Santagati: "Masculine, masculine. If a woman comes to me aggressively, I come right back to here. Like if you want to get aggressive with me in the bedroom or someplace, I'm going to bring it on. I'm going to see what you have, but I'm going to bring it on."
Gerry doesn't do that?
Steve Santagati: "I don't want to ruin it."
Rocco DiSpirito
How much fun was it working on this?
Rocco DiSpirito: "It was pretty cool, very cool. I think there's some wisdom, what Gerry has to say in this movie. But don't give us too much credit, we're not that deep-thinking - us men. We're very simple."
You're speaking for all men now.
Rocco DiSpirito: "All men will hate me after this. Just for me. We're very simple."
What's the worst dating advice you've ever heard?
Rocco DiSpirito: "Worst dating advice? I think the concept of dating advice is already flawed. Dating advice doesn't work because everyone's different. You've got to go with the flow. If you're going to cook for a woman, make sure it's something that she likes. And if you're thinking about cooking for a woman, differently do it because that's a good deal closer."
Yvette Nicole Brown - 'Dori'
Yvette Nicole Brown: "I play Dori, she's a television producer and the whole film is set in a television studio. My character is kind of like if she had a choice between Katrina and Brangelina, she's going with Brangelina. She really doesn't like hard news, so she's always clashing with someone over that."
This is all about dating advice. Have you gotten bad dating advice?
Yvette Nicole Brown: "I haven't had bad dating advice. I also haven't had any dates. It's very tragic, the situation right now, but I'm hoping that I can learn something in this that will help me a little more in that way."
Did you learn anything from the movie?
Yvette Nicole Brown: "I learned that men are afraid of commitment and they're rogue-ish."
Now wait a minute, we knew that before this movie.
Yvette Nicole Brown: "Did we know that? Doggone it. Then I learned nothing."
We did learn Gerry Butler's really hot.
Yvette Nicole Brown: "Gerry Butler is hot and he's a hugger. I don't know what else I can say but that. It's a good day when you see him."