The following contains spoilers for How To Train Your Dragon, now playing in theatersGerard Butler gives one of the best performances in How to Train Your Dragon, which makes one question during the development of the film all the more baffling. Butler plays Stoick in the film, the Viking lord of Berk and a dedicated enemy of the dragon horde that routinely raids their home. Frustrated by his son Hiccup, their feud and eventual reconciliation serve as one of the core emotional arcs of the fantasy film. Having originated the role 15 years ago, it’s no surprise that Butler easily brought the How to Train Your Dragon character to life.
Butler uses his versatile talents in the film to great effect, infusing his live-action Stoick with enough fury, vulnerability, and humor to make him feel like a three-dimensional character. Butler even finds little moments of personality in the film that couldn’t exist in the animated film, delivering a knockout performance that feels like an elevation of his previous work with the material. The fact that Butler is as good as he is in the film makes one aspect of development all the more surprising, especially because it would have robbed audiences of one of Gerald Butler’s most charming performances.
Gerard Butler’s Live-Action Version of Stoick Is Great In How To Train Your Dragon
Butler Brings Out Little Moments To Great Effect
Gerard Butler gives a great performance in How to Train Your Dragon, which makes the fact that director Dean DeBlois had to fight for his casting all the more surprising. Having played the character in the first two animated How to Train Your Dragon films as well as boasting plenty of starring roles to his name, Butler made perfect sense for the live-action remake. He has the action chops to believably throw himself into battle against dragons, with small touches in his opening sequence (like headʙuттing a dragon) really selling the character’s importance and fighting prowess.
Butler is even better in the quieter moments, able to rally crowds with ease but also capable of showing vulnerability alongside characters like Gobber. Butler is best when he’s paired with Mason Thames, who plays Hiccup. The pair find an achingly real awkwardness that reflects the strained bond between the father and son, with Butler landing not just the jokey asides but the emotional beats as well. There are moments of regret, relief, anguish, and joy for Stoick, many without dialogue, that Butler conveys wonderfully. It’s a genuinely great performance from the actor.
How To Train Your Dragon Almost Recast Stoick & Replaced Gerard Butler
Dean DeBlois And Gerard Butler Had To Fight To Stop A Recasting For Stoick
It shouldn’t be surprising that Butler could nail Stoick. Beyond playing the character before, Butler headlined plenty of major films over the last two decades. However, as reported by Screen Rant, Butler and DeBlois had to fight the studio on casting him as Stoick. According to an interview DeBlois gave with Empire Magazine about How to Train Your Dragon, the studio was initially interested in casting a bigger name for the part. DeBlois argued for Butler to get the role, but initially believed it was going to be a battle he couldn’t win.
The broad-shouldered Butler makes for a perfect visual contrast to the thinner Thames…
However, once Butler found out from DeBlois that the character was potentially being recast, the Scottish actor got involved. Together, they were able to convince Universal to let Butler reprise the role for live-action. While it’s unclear who else could have played Stoick, Butler is a perfect choice for that role. While other Scottish actors could have likely played the part, the broad-shouldered Butler makes for a perfect visual contrast to the thinner Thames. It’s a good way to represent their differences through casting, one of the many perks of casting Butler as Stoick.
Gerard Butler’s Stoick Return Proves How Vital He Is To How To Train Your Dragon
Butler’s Stoick Is A Big Part Of The Emotional Core Of The Franchise
Gerard Butler is one of the key ingredients in How to Train Your Dragon, especially on a cast level. He delivered one of the best vocal performances in the original film, and his clear love for Stoick as a character is obvious from his approach to the character in live-action. His conflict with (and love for) his son is evident from the delivery of his lines and the small emotional arcs he gives the character throughout the film. Butler already gave a great performance as Stoick before, but improves on it here.
Butler being Stoick makes me even more excited for How to Train Your Dragon 2, which has been confirmed to already be in active development with a planned release date in 2027. That film saw Stoick embracing the dragon culture introduced to Berk by his son, face off with ᴅᴇᴀᴅly warlords like Drago, and reunite him with his lost love Valka. Butler’s performance in How to Train Your Dragon has me incredibly excited to see what he brings to those moments once they leap live-action.
via: Screen Rant
