Gerard Butler: 'Santa's like James Bond… we all know he's actually a Scotsman'

Of course, one of the things that those actors have in common is that they're both Scotsmen, and according to Butler it's about time that we acknowledged the possibility that Santa really is Scottish.

"It's just like James Bond was Scottish, we all know that Santa is actually a Scotsman!" he joked during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "And I thought it was time that the world know that.

"But the Scots element did just seem to lend itself to that kind of big, bombastic character who's kind of like... he's a little bit goofy, he's stupid, but in a beautiful way."

When he first read the script, Butler found himself noticing that the character didn't just remind him of the Santa Claus we all know and love, but also of aspects of his own personality, sides of him which he felt hasn't often been explored in other projects.

"That's the other side of me that people don't see, you know, the kind of ADD, big, kind of idiotic but sweet guy, you know, who's always having to be put... 'Gerry, no, not that door, this door. No, actually, Gerry, you missed your appointment, the wrong day, you know?' But I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go.'

"I felt when I read this, 'Let me in right now.'"

As fun a job as it was, voicing Santa did come with a few challenges, especially as this version of the character bursts into song several times during the 80-minute film.

And although Butler is no stranger to singing in film – one of his biggest roles was Phantom of the Opera, after all – it took him some time to get back into the swing of things.

"It went from, 'Oh, my God, I haven't sang for a while,' and I was doing my voice warm-up, and I could see them at the back going... Okay. Thinking, damn, this is gonna be a little more tricky than I thought," he explained.

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"But over the next couple of hours, [it was] actually beautiful to watch, because suddenly I'm banging out these songs and the level of improvement and getting into what happened.

"I started way worse than I thought, but got there way quicker than I thought I would get there too. And we had so much fun. I was dancing around that booth. I had this little hip swing that I had, you know, [sings], "We're in the business, the business of..." And they were dancing outside.

"It was... every moment, every line that we laid down, every song, it was fun. It was creative. We were just trying anything, working with them was, like, the most enjoyable experience.

"Everybody in it for the right reasons. Knowing you're working with people who all were on the same wavelength, that you're in that sandbox and you're just ready to play... it was awesome."

He added: "I wish all my work could be like that, working with those guys in that little room, not having to deal with makeup, hair, costume... just singing!"

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is showing on Sky Cinema and NOW from Friday 13th December 2024.

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