Gerard Butler on painful transformation for ‘How To Train Your Dragon’

Gerard Butler has recently reflected on his painful transformation for live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie. 

In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gerard, who reprises the role of Stoick the Vast in the new movie, revealed the major part of his transformation was “hell”.

“It was incredible to revisit the How to Train Your Dragon franchise in a new way,” said the 55-year-old.

The Ugly Truth actor stated, “I’d always wondered, seeing the animated version what would it be like to be that size? Be that character and to live.”

When asked about growing massive beard for his role, Gerard responded that never happened.

“That was like five pieces of hell,” remarked the Plane actor.

Gerard told ET, “That was a good three and a half hours just to be ready.”

Earlier, the Greenland actor discussed another unique challenge that came with playing the character in the new movie.

Speaking to Collider, Gerard said that his costume weighed 90 pounds, recalling, “I had seven layers, thick layers, and a thick beard, and then I had a kind of bearskin or wolfskin over it. It was heavy.”

He continued, “When I had my sword and my shield and the helmet, which was heavy, and all those layers with the clasps that went around, it was 90 pounds, my costume.”

“I was, in the middle of the coldest day, soaking wet from sweat inside because it was like a furnace in there,” quipped the actor.

Meanwhile, Gerard’s How to Train Your Dragon will premiere in theatres on June 13, 2025.