Gerard Butler Admits He 'Almost Killed' Hilary Swank On The Set Of 'P.S. I Love You'

Hollywood stars actors tend to have jaw-dropping behind-the-scenes stories, and Gerard Butler just shared a really wild one. The Lawyer-turned-actor recently admitted to almost killing his co-star Hilary Swank on the "P.S. I Love You" set.

In the 2007 romantic drama, Butler starred as Gerry, the husband of Swank's character Holly Kennedy. The actor recalled the on-set accident which landed the now 48-year-old in the hospital. He also remembered worrying so much for Swank that he cried.

The film, which was directed by Richard LaGravenese, was inspired by Cecelia Ahern's 2004 novel of the same name. While Swank is now expecting twins with her husband, Butler is focusing on his career and will star in the upcoming film "Plane." 

Keep reading to know more.

While on an episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," the "Last Seen Alive" actor recalled how things went down behind the "P.S. I Love You" scenes. The 53-year-old also remembered the accident happening during a part where he danced around "like an idiot."

He explained that Gerry, his character, was supposed to hit himself in the face with a suspender clip while removing his clothes. However, things went sideways when he lost control of the clip and hit Swank in the face instead. 

"It gets stuck, it releases [and] flies over my head, hits her in the head — slashes her head."

Butler also noted that the suspender clip "cut her open" and made Swank bleed. "You could even see the teeth [of the suspender]." Recounting what happened afterward, he said, "She had to get taken to the hospital." The "Greenland" actor, who was scared for his co-star's life, broke down in tears after the incident.

The "Tomorrow Never Dies" actor recalled sitting alone in the studio after the incident and crying. "I'm just sitting there in my Irish [shamrock] boxer shorts and my boots and a pair of socks, and I just started crying."

He also blamed himself for being too careless and hurting Swank, saying, "I scarred Hilary Swank. I almost took her eye out, and I just made a fool of myself for two days."

Butler especially felt bad about what happened because he really planned to make sure that his co-star was safe. 

The actor recalled telling the director that he wanted to put Swank's feelings first while filming the movie. "I remember saying to the director, I'm not going to think about myself in this movie, I'm only going to think about her, make sure she's okay, she's cool."

In response to why he was so particular about Swank's safety, he explained that that was what his character would have done for Holly. "That's kinda who this [Gerry] was, and it made the experience so much more fun." While he was upset about the accident, he ultimately wanted to make sure that Swank was doing okay.

Butler also noted how much he liked their scenes together and revealed that Swank was "cool" and "great to work with." 

Swank and her husband, Philip Schneider, are currently expecting twins. The actress has been very open about her pregnancy journey, sharing fun and adorable clips and photos of her baby bump.

When asked by Extra Magazine why it took her until she was 48 years old to have her first child, Swank said, "I was having a career and not having the right relationship until … four years ago, and all the elements needed to come together and be right."

She continued, "It’s just something I thought about even as a young girl. It’s something that was on my mind, so it’s nice to be here and just be pregnant."

Butler, on the other hand, recently starred in the action film "Plane," which was released in the US on January 13th, 2023. 

According to Collider, the film follows a pilot, Brodie Torrance (played by Butler). An unfortunate incident put the commercial pilot's flying skills to the test when lightning hit his plane. Butler also stars alongside Mike Colter, Paul Ben-Victor, and Joey Slotnick, among others, in the movie.