King Leonidas and I....

It was just another day at work on the NBC lot, or so it seemed. Today there was a large group of employees gathered outside Studio 3, where they tape the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This wasn't a typical occurrence in Burbank so I went up to the group and asked what all the hustle and bustle was about. It turns out that Gerard Butler, star of the upcoming action epic 300 was on the show and the group was waiting for him. Apparently Gerry had gained superstar status among women between the age of 30 and 50 years old because of a little film he did called the Phantom of the Opera. Mr. Butler portrayed the Phantom in the popular musical and ever since, had won the hearts of women around the world. I only know this because my mother IS one of those ladies crazy for Gerard. Well as it would be, he was on the show to promote 300, which is expected to be a huge blockbuster (300 would go on to be the largest March opening in film history.) and in a matter of moments he was expected to be leaving the studio to greet this group of middle-aged fanatics. So I thought, what the hell, why not wait and meet the guy? After all, I have seen a few of his movies: Tomb Raider II, Timeline, and even a tiny appearance in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

It only took a few minutes before Mr. Butler made his appearance. As he walked toward his Limo parked only feet away from the rear studio doors, several women shouted out "GERRY!" He looked over toward us, began to walk over, as he approached he said, "Oh you guys want pictures?" He then made an awkward face and said, "Well you all can all go f**k yourselves." He laughed and walked over to the group with a big smile. Since I was already running a little late to my office, I hopped in the very front, cutting everyone off, of course. But they didn't seem to mind. I couldn't resist, I was, after all doing this for my mother.

As I approached I shook his hand told him that I was looking forward to seeing 300. Then I said, "My mother LOVES you!" He replied in his thick Scottish accent, "Well, tell her she has good taste!" I also mentioned to him that my mother's birthday is tomorrow, March 3. And he just so happened to be on the cover of the latest Men's Health Magazine. So, I asked him to sign it for my mother's birthday. He obliged and wrote "Barbara, Happy Birthday, Hugs & Kisses, Gerard Butler." Click here to see it. After he signed I took a couple more pictures with him and stepped back to watch the madness unfold. These women were literally in love with this guy. I will admit that for a celebrity, Gerard was extremely nice. He talked to every last person as if he knew them, or genuinely cared about what they had to say. I was impressed with his compassion for his fans. As long as I have been in LA, I have NEVER seen a celebrity that was so gracious to his fans. This short video I shot shows, just how nice he really is. Sorry, it was a little dark out at the time, but you get the idea.

And that is how I met King Leonidas...