THE BIG PICTURE

Warners Bros. Alan Horn initially hesitated over production, but eventually greenlit 300 .
Horn said that, in order for Butler to play the role, he’d have to give up smoking.
Butler agreed to quit smoking for the role, training intensely to embody the physically imposing character of Leonidas.

Few action movies feel as enormous and imposing as Zack Snyder‘s 300. Few characters feel as legendary and badass as King Leonidas of Sparta. The project, which is slated to get its own TV series, was a tremendous undertaking, culminating in a movie that is, well, truly epic. Gerard Butler‘s powerful utterance of iconic quotes are entrenched in the pop culture zeitgeist.

Don’t act like you haven’t wanted to yell, “This is Sparta!” on some occasion or other. Though his casting in the role feels like it was destiny, there was a time that Butler, and the film itself, may not have even been made. Leonidas might not have been there to protect Thermopylae were it not for a few important meetings and one important caveat: that Gerard Butler quit smoking.

300

R
Action
Drama

King Leonidas of Sparta leads 300 of his best warriors to defend Greece against the massive invading Persian army led by King Xerxes. Outnumbered and facing insurmountable odds, the Spartans make their stand at the narrow pass of Thermopylae, using their superior tactics and fighting skills to hold off the Persians.

Release DateMarch 9, 2007
DirectorZack Snyder
CastGerard Butler , Lena Headey , David Wenham , Dominic West
Runtime117 minutes
Main GenreAction
WritersZack Snyder , Kurt Johnstad , Michael B. Gordon

Warner Bros. President Alan Horn Was Hesitant About Making ‘300’

Even before any casting decision was to be made, 300 had to be greenlit by Warner Bros. At the time, Alan Horn was both president and COO of the production company, and was initially uninterested in producing the film. After the critical panning of Wolfgang Peterson‘s Troy and the commercial flop of Oliver Stone‘s Alexander, Horn wasn’t enthused at the idea of making another historical epic.

Horn shared with The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t want “any more arrows and swords,” but fortunately, his opinion wasn’t set in stone. After meeting with Zack Snyder, he placed his faith in the project. But when Snyder pointed to Butler as his King Leonidas, that faith was met with some unease.

Alan Horn Didn’t See Gerard Butler in the ‘300’ Role

Today, it feels like Gerard Butler was always destined to be the King of Sparta, but when 300 was first being cast, he didn’t seem like the apparent choice. Butler’s most notable recent role was as the titular The Phantom of the Opera, Joel Schumacher‘s film adaptation of the legendary musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The film garnered a mixed response; some view it as an affront to Webber’s tremendously successful musical, while others still look back on the movie with much more kindness and nostalgia. Butler’s performance, specifically his singing, was the most scrutinized aspect of it all.

The actor himself recalled being surprised at the casting because, though he had sung in a rock band in school, he had never been classically trained in singing. But vocal criticisms aside, Butler nonetheless turned in a commendable performance in the lead role.

Butler had taken to the stage as a dark and brooding lead actor before, having first gotten Schumacher’s attention from his role in Dracula 2000, but nearly being typecast in that position almost prevented him from working on 300. Though Butler had been in action films, having starred in Reign of Fire and Beowulf & Grendel, he wasn’t yet established as a traditional action leading man.

Coming off playing a more romantic character, Horn saw too much of the Phantom in Butler, and couldn’t see him in a role so starkly different from the tragic romantic lead. Butler remained faithful in the vision, however, and was sure to convince Alan Horn that he was the right man for the job.

Gerard Butler Had to Give Up Smoking for the Role of King Leonidas

Demonstrating some Spartan resilience and perseverance, Butler planned to convince the studio executive that he was up for the challenge — which he accomplished with considerable success. Butler scheduled a meeting with Alan Horn and, though the details of their conversation haven’t been publicized, the actor walked away proving that he was the right choice for the role.

Horn recalled that Butler was, “really physically imposing,” ultimately displaying the necessary stature and gravity that was needed for a role like Leonidas. But there was a catch. Horn knew that Butler was a cigarette smoker from his Phantom of the Opera days, and even recalled the smell of cigarettes on the actor during the meeting, which the Warner Bros. president was fervently against.

Believing that a public figure like Butler should be a role model, Horn wanted to make sure that he wasn’t being a negative influence with his smoking habit. So if Butler wanted the part, he had to quit smoking. Butler agreed, was crowned King of Sparta, and the rest is ancient history.

Gerard Butler Trained Intensely for Zack Snyder’s ‘300’

Butler still needed to be in Spartan shape for the role, which demanded a grueling regimen for the actor. Although some airbrushing makeup was certainly used to make his abs pop on screen, Butler didn’t want his body to be augmented by visual effects, so he took to his training regimen and diet with grave intensity.

On a soldier-like six-hour day regime, Butler trained for months in preparation, continuing even throughout filming by squeezing in workouts at lunch, night, and in between takes. Embodying the life-or-death commitment of the Spartan he was portraying, he wanted to recreate the same intensity that Leonidas would have lived with.

As the actor recalled, “That was the best shape I have ever been in in my life,” though it demanded such exhaustive hours of training and sacrifice. However, such a dramatic body transformation is incredibly taxing, and Butler’s body would suffer the consequences of such feverish intensity. “In some ways I was ruining my body, but I was looking amazing doing it.”

It isn’t a unique experience for actors to feel tremendous pressure to transform their body for a role, and Zac Efron has even spoken about how his preparation for Baywatch led to him experiencing insomnia and depression that took months of recovery time.

Gerard Butler Established Himself as an Action Star

The sacrifices were made for an end goal, however, and Butler successfully created the image he wanted for the film. Leonidas remains one of the most physically imposing characters in film, and tremendous credit goes to Butler, his trainers, and the stunt team that all came together to bring the warrior king to life.

Butler established himself as an action superstar, embodying all the defiant confidence and bravery of Leonidas which, paired with Zack Snyder’s creative direction, made 300 one of the most distinct and memorable movies of the mid-2000s.

Butler has spoken about how challenging it was to give up the habit, even in the years following, taking roughly 40 attempts before making significant progress. From hypnotism to electrolyzing his hands, Butler tried a number of different strategies to help him kick smoking. Unfortunately, he also shared that a night out with fellow actor, Russell Crowe, ended with a few more lighters and cigarettes than originally intended.

Though his habit wasn’t permanently kicked, Butler has nonetheless remained a Hollywood staple and versatile superstar. He’s had numerous leading action roles, like Olympus Has Fallen and 2023’s Plane, but has still gone back to more dramatic roles, like in Coriolanus, an adaptation of a Shakespeare play. Butler has even lent his voice acting talents to the tremendous How to Train Your Dragon series, and is set to feature in the upcoming live-action adaptation as well.

300 is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.