Gerard Butler: 300 Star Rises to the Top

Some actors have it lucky. They make one or two films, one of those films hits a note with audiences, becomes a blockbuster and they're household names days after the release. Take for instance Orlando Bloom. Before Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, Bloom only had a bit part in one film and a couple of appearances on British television series under his belt. However, after the release of Rings, he commanded a multi-million dollar salary and was the focus of many a young girl's late night fantasy.

Then you have actors like Gerard Butler. It would appear that he has everything that Bloom does: good looks, talent and even an accent that makes American girls swoon. What he didn't have, until March 9, 2007, was a blockbuster film that finally gave mainstream audiences a look at his attributes. We're speaking only of his talent, of course.

Butler had made dozens of films that performed poorly at the box office or, at the very least, had been the focus of critical backlash. Though he performed well in each of these films, the films themselves could not be redeemed due to either lackluster plots or overall bad marketing. With films like Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Dracula 2001, it's no wonder that he was missed by many mainstream film fans.

His portrayal of The Phantom in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera brought him a devoted female fan base, but still did little to propel him to super stardom.

Enter King Leonidas and Frank Miller's 300, a souped-up retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae based on Miller's comic of the same name. Selling the role completely, Butler stepped into the sandals of Leonidas, commanding a group of 300 Spartans and a newly realized fan base comprised of comic book fanboys/girls and mainstream film-goers.

What's so compelling about Butler's film career is the female fanbase that has so long supported him. Unbeknown to most (including myself), Gerard Butler apparently commands a longtime fanbase that runs the gamut from simply admiring female fans to rabid fans who await his departure from television appearances in order to paw at him like an uncaged animal.

Despite the rabid so-called fans that seem to lap at the fringe of his career, Butler has remained gracious and open to his fans, an aspect that has surely propelled his career, especially with the gentler side of his fanbase. Opening himself up to the scrutiny that is sometimes the albatross to those who take on comic-based roles, he has proven himself capable of taking on more challenging and demanding roles including that of Snake Plissken in the remake of John Carpenter's Escape From New York. His time spent under the radar has also allowed him to perfect his skill and his ability to manipulate the camera, a skill that is evident throughout 300.

Now that Gerard Butler is on the precipice of becoming a household name, audiences will be sure to take note of his upcoming films which include P.S. I Love You, co-starring Hilary Swank, in which a woman's deceased husband finds ways to send her messages from beyond. He will also star in Priest, in which he will play - surprise - a priest who takes it upon himself to track down his kidnapped niece believed to be abducted by a group of vampires.

Whatever roles he takes on in the near future, no doubt more film-goers will be paying attention. Soon, we might just be including Gerard Butler in the ranks of other long-struggling actors such as George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe.