Gerard Butler: I almost drowned on set

Gerard Butler “almost drowned” while shooting Chasing Mavericks.

The 45-year-old actor prefers doing his own stunts when it comes to filming movies. But Gerard ran into some issues when he shot one of the riskiest stunts in the 2012 film.

“On the surf movie, Chasing Mavericks, I had to surf one of the most dangerous waves in the world and I got trapped under it – I almost drowned as a result,” he told Esquire Middle East magazine.

In Chasing Mavericks, Gerard played surfing legend Frosty Hesson, who helps young surfer Jay Moriarity after he discovers the Mavericks surf break in Santa Cruz.

And while Gerard was terrified when the stunt went wrong, he insists the incident hasn’t put him off completing his own stunts on films in the future.

However, he admits he will be a little more careful going forward.

“I remember thinking when I was underwater, ‘This is actually it, I’m done.’

“I’ve got to learn to be a little less dedicated sometimes – a little less involved in the stunts, but it’s all part of the fun.”

Gerard has made a name for himself in films such as 300, The Bounty Hunter and Olympus Has Fallen.

And he told the publication that if he lived in a world where acting didn’t exist, he would be at a loss of what to do with himself.

“I’d probably be at home going, ‘What am I doing with my life, I need to do something!’ ” he said.

“I’m surrounded by a lot of people when I’m working, and when I’m not acting I like to sometimes be away from everybody.

“I live on a ranch in Malibu in the middle of nowhere and I love it. I’ve often thought if I wasn’t an actor I would like to be a forest commissioner.”