Butler too canny for coach who made him

Published on Saturday 17 October 2009 19:50

ON HIS way up, Gerard Butler was happy to consult him to help make a vast improvement in his acting talents. Now the Scots-born actor is a Hollywood heart-throb, and has criticised American acting coach Larry Moss for being too expensive.

Coach Larry Moss is credited with transforming the careers of some of the biggest names in cinema, including Leonardo Di Caprio.

Butler, originally from Paisley, said in a recent interview that he first consulted Moss in 2000, when he was concerned about whether he was good enough to play the lead role in a US TV mini-series: "He was so expensive, but I had two lessons with him when I landed Attila The Hun, and I wanted to run over the script with him. He cost an absolute fortune."

Despite the cost, he said, the effect was electrifying: "While we talked about the script, he made me delve into myself so much, my passion and my pride, my patriotism… And I thought, why shouldn't that be me up there?

After securing that role, which led to more, he landed the lead as a Spartan king in swords-and-sandals epic 300, the success of which let him buy a 1.5 million Los Angeles house last year

Moss said he had had only had two or three hours with Butler but that the sessions had a powerful effect on Butler. He took exception to Butler complaining about his charges. "I find it humorous, but also irritating. I think it does have to do with his upbringing and how people view money in different countries."

Moss said his hourly rate was under $1,000, adding: "It's hilarious that people who make millions in a film don't think that they should pay a good amount for a person that actually makes the difference in their performance or in their career."

"He struck me as having a profound sadness and a kind of anger at the state of the world. I felt very deeply from him that he had experiences in his life, things that weren't fair, and that he was angry about those things… He got very emotional… He was sobbing his guts out."