Interviews We Like: "Gerry" Butler and the Man Who Knew Nothing
"Hey, how you doin'?"
"Great to meet you. I'm Cal."
We shake hands. So far, so good.
"Have you got a sense of humor?"
"No, not really. Why? You want me to tell you a joke or something?"
The accent. Australia? New Zealand? I'm usually pretty good at this. Scottish?
"I was told to come to this address and have a conversation with Gerry. That's the only thing I know about you."
Gerry's head cocks, and his face splits into opposing expressions. His eyes squint with suspicion, but he's grinning.
"O... kay."
Gerry is Gerard Butler, star of 300 and this September's FPS-by-way-of-Reality-Show, Gamer. The interview, conducted over three-hours (!) by Esquire's Cal Fussman. This is a look at how an interview should, and yet, should not be done. Jason Kottke admits a tinge of New Journalism in the piece, and I can see it. This is an interview that shines in the subject, who is now without a doubt a Movie Star, meeting someone who has no knowledge of that world.
But for this to be a three-hour interview? Undoubtedly grueling for everyone involved, all the fake smiles and innocent questions aside. We say skip to Page 2 of the piece, as that's the most interesting when it comes to hearing Butler wax poetic about his past (who knew he was in training to be a lawyer?) But is it me, or is hearing him called "Gerry" so daunting? It's like if, behind closed doors, people refer to Arnold Schwarzenegger as "Arnster" or Clint Eastwood as "Chester."
[via Jen Yamato's Twitter]
-John Lichman
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