The Scottish star plays an airline pilot in his latest high-octane action thriller.
Gerard Butler is back on the big screen this week in his latest high-octane action thriller – starring alongside former Luke Cage actor Mike Colter in the straight-forwardly named Plane.
The film sees the Scottish star play airline pilot Brodie Torrance, who must team up with Colter’s accused murderer Louis Gaspare after his plane crash lands on a war-torn island and most of his passengers are taken hostage by violent rebels.
Ahead of the film’s release, RadioTimes.com previewed a tense clip that showed Brodie and Louis watching on as the hostages face their captors – and in an exclusive interview, Butler has revealed that he had to fight to keep this scene in the film.
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“That’s actually a moment that I had put in the script – watching something brutal happening to the passengers by the rebels,” he revealed. “And I had a big fight for that scene because the studio said, ‘No, he’s the hero. He can’t watch this happen. He would have to go and do something about it.’”
But Butler explained to the producers the scene would be much better if he was prevented from intervening by Colter’s character.
“I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’,” he said. “You see the size of this guy, and if he climbs on top of me, that’s awesome! And by the end, I’m furious with him. I could kill him, but then I appreciate, you know what, he’s right. He’s actually using the right strategy.”
It was only when it came to filming the scene that Butler began to regret sticking to his guns.
“He kept climbing on top of me and then I’m like, ‘This was not really the brightest idea,’” he joked. “I don’t know why I fought for this sequence because it’s getting particularly annoying!”
Colter interjected: “I’m glad you fought for it – that was actually a great moment. I can’t imagine that not happening because it just shows how invested you are in the passengers. So that was a really fantastic moment.”
Plane is now showing in in UK cinemas. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Film hub for all the latest news.
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