Gerard Butler is a dependable physical actor, and his Stoick finds room for a father's awkwardness beneath the bulk. We are less persuaded by the thin action scripts that expect his commitment to do everything.
Fi1m perspective
In How to Train Your Dragon (2025), Gerard Butler makes Stoick's size part of the difficulty between father and son. Opposite a slight, visibly frightened Hiccup, he has all the physical authority and little idea how to speak to the boy. We were moved by that awkwardness, because being so imposing leaves him no better equipped to be a father. Butler is a dependable actor when a role gives his bulk a purpose beyond intimidation. Here, the failure to communicate gives him something more particular to play than strength.
There was a major musical lead in The Phantom of the Opera (2004) before 300 (2007) established him as an action star. As King Leonidas, his commitment to the physical demands of the part became central to his appeal. Olympus Has Fallen (2013) then gave him Mike Banning and a recurring thriller role. That line of work suits his sturdy presence, with Plane (2023) a useful example of what he brings to straightforward action. The limitation is the material: the thin plotting of Kandahar (2023) leaves commitment doing work a script ought to do.
Stoick offers another way to judge him, and the two versions are instructive. In How to Train Your Dragon (2010), directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders give the boy and his dragon the patient attention that the supporting humans lack. Butler's voice supplies the gruffness, but Stoick remains too readily recognisable as a type. The animation's occasional stiffness does not help, and vocal force cannot supply the individuality the writing has missed. We recommend that film warmly, though Butler's part is among the things it handles less well.
DeBlois's 2025 remake reverses that judgement of Butler without improving the film. It repeats almost the same shots, takes longer and adds little, yet putting him bodily opposite Hiccup makes this particular relationship more convincing. Hiccup's quick, dry manner gives Butler a useful contrast, while Gobber gets the best comic timing. The casting works better than the decision to do it all again. Start with the animation for the film; try the remake only if seeing Butler inhabit Stoick is reason enough for another visit.
Biography
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer. Born on 13 November 1969 in Paisley, he studied law at the University of Glasgow before turning to acting in the mid-1990s.
He appeared in minor roles including Mrs Brown (1997) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), then gained wider recognition as King Leonidas in 300 (2007). Butler voiced Stoick the Vast in the How to Train Your Dragon animated films (2010–2019) and reprised the role in the 2025 live-action adaptation. He has also starred in action films such as Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and Greenland (2020).
