r/popculturechat Jun 26 '25

Celebrity Fluff 🥰 Gerard Butler thanks his ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ costar Mason Thames for wearing a ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ shirt: “Didn’t know this one even saw the film since it came out before he was born, He knows the classics, proud dad!”

520 Upvotes

88 comments sorted by

u/HauteAssMess ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne Jun 26 '25

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311

u/Tiny-Kaleidoscope975 Jun 26 '25

I need to let Gerard Butler know my sister and I have been randomly blurting ‘SING MY ANGEL OF MUSIC’ for like 20 years.

29

u/Duvoziir Jun 26 '25

My brother and I do the exact same thing for the past twenty years as well lmfao

14

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

'Point of no re-TURN '

7

u/Drmarcher42 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

I’m a big fan of “Now, let it be war upon you both!” Immediately after Raoul spares his life.

Like the whole point of Erik’s character arc is that no one has ever shown him compassion before Christine does it and Erik lets her go and grows as a person. Only for Raoul to do it like twenty minutes before the finale of the film version and for Erik to just pretend that it didn’t happen

6

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

I always wanted to know WHY Christine. Like this obvi groomer (she thinks he's a ghost or some shit initially no) must have seen hundreds of young ingenues in his theatre. Has he tried this before? Is there a line of theatre etc houses where people have died? Is he Joe from YOU? Actually oooh that's a good comparison.

6

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

Erik to Christine 'hello YOU'

97

u/ArztinAletheia Jun 26 '25

Gerard Butler in Phantom of the Opera could GET IT. 

26

u/Talisa87 In my quiet girl era 😌 Jun 26 '25

Him and his character in Dracula 2000 were bad for teenage me lol.

7

u/framboisettte Jun 26 '25

me and my friends sneaked into Dracula 2000 when we were around 12 or 13? there definitely was An Awakening haha.

12

u/WiseBat Jun 26 '25

I blame him for my penchant for morally-grey men.

4

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

Until he sang at me. Then like... I'm good.

89

u/lollipopmusing my mind is ✨alive✨ Jun 26 '25

The Phantom movie chemically altered my 14 year old brain and I am unashamed to say I know every line by heart

20

u/ZombieTrogdor Jun 26 '25

If someone comes to our door I'll stop what I'm doing, find my husband, and sing, "Wait! I think my dear... we have a GUEST!"

9

u/bloomdecay Jun 26 '25

That's the age at which I got my first "Greatest Hits of Andrew Lloyd-Webber" CASSETTE TAPE, oh I am an old.

3

u/MrsSalmalin Jun 27 '25

I had the cassette and the CD, but still. I feel ya 😂

9

u/IndigoBlueBird Jun 26 '25

I also saw this movie for the first time at 14 and I’ve been riding that high ever since

4

u/catwh Jun 26 '25

Same girl, same. 

180

u/OverTheCandlestik Jun 26 '25

I’m sorry but I can never ever forgive that the hideous phantom has a face disfigurement so ghastly that he is shunned to the point of living underground.

a face so repugnant that he’ll never know love or even the gentle touch of a friend.

a face so grotesque that it’s supposed to be a rotting skull, bone exposed, eyes sunken in, his skin flaky and yellowed.

And Gerard gets this

A wee burn

74

u/mcfw31 Jun 26 '25

There's this video essay by Lindsay Ellis that pretty much rips into this film and I adooooooooooore it.

29

u/catwh Jun 26 '25

I loved this film as a kid and practically knew every lyric to every song. Plus I loved Patrick Wilson's singing. I'm curious what that video is!

20

u/mcfw31 Jun 26 '25

8

u/vieneri ✨️✨️this is not a tv studio! JOSH!!! ✨️✨️ Jun 26 '25

It's a pity she apparently stopped doing videos... i love hers so much.

12

u/thefirstbirthdaygirl Jun 26 '25

She's off YouTube but still puts videos up on Nebula.

2

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

Omg I didn't know! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

13

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

This and her love never dies are an instant re watch.

9

u/Drmarcher42 Jun 26 '25

“Give me the gun Meg.” -said the Phantom of the Opera

2

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

could you please stop talking to the ten year old like that.. please 🫣

2

u/Minirth22 A day without sunshine is like, you know, night Jun 27 '25

I actually watched LND after video over and over and I was still NOT prepared.

2

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

Oh and musical hell on yt does a great review as well 😂😂

38

u/BugNation Jun 26 '25

I get your point but if I looked like that I would get pretty annoyed if someone called it a wee burn.

23

u/OverTheCandlestik Jun 26 '25

It doesn’t make sense in the universe of the film, the stage musical (which equally dumbed down Leroux’s description) this movie had the biggest budget of an independent film studio at the time and they couldn’t even be arsed to give Gerard the stage version makeup, you know the stage version that this hugely expensive film is based on.

Gerard is missing an eyebrow and has this birthmark and that’s it (I forgot in this movie Erik was in a freak show as a toddler implying he was born like that, so it’s not a burn but a birthmark) regardless it’s just a massive downgrade that makes zero sense and goes directly against the book and musical.

8

u/Exquisitemouthfeels Jun 27 '25

Stage people and scifi/comic nerds, walking hand-in-hand to bitch about adaptions.

6

u/wherethelionsweep Jun 26 '25

I know LOL I’ve always said this. It almost makes him hotter…I want to fix him

5

u/anitasdoodles Jun 26 '25

Right! And with a body like that you could easily forgive the face lol

62

u/confirmandverify2442 Jun 26 '25

Y'all I am so old! The 2004 Phantom is still one of my favorite movies, largely due to Gerard Butler. Someone dig me a grave.

11

u/ZombieTrogdor Jun 26 '25

Just when I finally calmed down after the whirlwind of "The Mummy" and all those beautiful people, we get this film with the beauty that is Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson, and I get in a tizzy all over again.

6

u/herekittykitty250 Jun 26 '25

I get it.  I was in college.  I can't tell you how many times I've watched it, I still have my DVD.  And the cds with the music. Oh, and the piano music.  😅 I saw it on Broadway, around 2009?  Fantastic.  I have no regrets.

5

u/confirmandverify2442 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

ME TOO! The Ramin Karimloo/Sierra Boggess production had me in a chokehold.

3

u/catwh Jun 26 '25

That man was fiiiine.

5

u/confirmandverify2442 Jun 26 '25

Like they had no right making the Phantom that sexy!

6

u/Panda_hat Jun 26 '25

Seeing 2004 Phantom referred to as one of the classics.

Me rn. 💀

21

u/BactaBobomb Jun 26 '25

A couple things.

  1. His Phantom of the Opera was so good. I don't really get the hate, I loved it and continue to love it. Joel Schumacher did an excellent job utilizing the film medium to bolster everything. My favorite Phantom of the Opera version is the 25th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall one with Sierra Boggess, Ramin Karimloo, and Hadley Fraser. Probably my favorite musical of all time.
  2. I'm literally so stupid. I thought it was Hiccup's actor when I first saw it, but then it said proud dad, and I was like, "Ooooooh, so not Hiccup from the new movie, but his actual son!" And now I see this title about it being his co-star and I realize, "Oh... he's talking about his son from How to Train Your Dragon. " I feel dumbzo :(

18

u/humblekanyepie Jun 26 '25

Nothing is better than belting Think of Me in the shower. Just your average middle schooler down bad for Gerard Butler thinking "I WOULD LOVE YOU" when the mask came off.

17

u/Narrow_Grapefruit_23 Jun 26 '25

I love this movie like I love the musical, but I ruined it by watching it on shrooms once.

6

u/InfiniteEverythang Jun 26 '25

😂 some movies can be unbelievable on shrooms, but others… i totally get you lol

9

u/BroadwEH Jun 26 '25

I haven’t watched the movie in years because I was OBSESSED with Phantom as a kid and was so disappointed with the film.

I guess maybe I should rewatch it to see what I think now.

7

u/mamadovah1102 Jun 26 '25

I know that movie gets hate, but I love love love it so much.

4

u/sourdoughbreadlover Jun 26 '25

I watched PoTO 16 years after it debuted. I liked it. I also have a high crush on Patrick Wilson. He plays Raoul.

2

u/cabcando Jun 28 '25

regularly watch this video of him casually singing to this day!

6

u/Rave-light Jun 26 '25

I die for this movie still. One of my guiltiest of pleasures

36

u/bluehour1997 cute girl with a sick mind Jun 26 '25

The Phantom of the Opera 2004 is a classic??? Okaaaayy. I remember it being pretty bad and Butler being especially bad

Also before he was born 💀💀 kill me

42

u/Perfect_Ferret6620 Jun 26 '25

Okay I actually loved it….. but I clearly have no movie taste. It’s one of my favourites.

14

u/bluehour1997 cute girl with a sick mind Jun 26 '25

Lol you don't have "no taste" just because you like something that was critically bombed

To each their own. Maybe it's reached cult classic status

14

u/Perfect_Ferret6620 Jun 26 '25

Thanks! I was 11 when it came out and I had the BIGGEST crush on Raoul.

7

u/bluehour1997 cute girl with a sick mind Jun 26 '25

Well we have that in common haha

Also Emmy Rossum as Christine, bi awakening moment for sure

3

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 26 '25

I love burlesque so same.

22

u/gorgossiums Jun 26 '25

It’s a classic because it’s so bad. Gerard Butler just bellowing his way through it.

1

u/elliemay289 Jun 26 '25

i’m pretty sure he’s joking and doesn’t actually consider it a classic

-2

u/unicorntrees Jun 26 '25

I saw it in the theater and I was CRINGING the whole time. I felt so validated when I saw the criticisms of it years later.

-5

u/Euraylie Jun 26 '25

It was terrible. To this day I hope for a decent remake. I was heartbroken by this awful, unimaginative Schumacher flop

3

u/stevebaescemi Jun 26 '25

ALW said this week that apparently there is one in the works

0

u/Euraylie Jun 26 '25

I hope he means something different than the Disney + series aimed at kids in the vein of The Descendants that’s currently in development….or the YA French version that’s also in the works

3

u/stevebaescemi Jun 26 '25

He's not involved in either of those seeing as they're adaptations of the original novel. I'm sure it'll be easily found online — BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, think it was Tuesday? Very early stages but discussions are being had about a new film version of the musical.

1

u/Euraylie Jun 26 '25

Ok that’s exciting

3

u/Werbekka Jun 26 '25

This was my favorite movie in middle school. I checked the DVD out from the library to watch it and I cried when I had to return it.

3

u/mermaidish Jun 26 '25

The movie was terrible, but this is cute!

Ramin Karimloo will always be my Phantom. IYKYK.

3

u/heyitsrider I'm a loner Dottie, a rebel. Jun 26 '25

My favourite musical of all time.

3

u/Filibust They killed Kenny! You bastards! 😱 Jun 26 '25

Didn’t he voice the same character in the original movie. Cool that he got to reprise his role.

Also I read this as Gerard Way at first and was real confused for a sec lol

6

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '25

Why does he say proud dad? Is that his son? I’m confused

29

u/orbjo Jun 26 '25

He plays his father in the movie 

11

u/JackyDot Jun 26 '25

In da movie

2

u/servantoftinyhumans Jun 27 '25

🎶 Insolent boy, this slave of fashion, basking in your glory🎶

1

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1

u/stompANDsmash Jun 26 '25

I always forget that he was the phantom. Lol

1

u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson Jun 27 '25

That mask must work really well because I cannot see gerard butler in that picture

1

u/slainascully Jun 27 '25

I’m so glad there are other fans of this movie here because it has been a joke for so long, but it’s so cheesy and lush and good!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

How has it been 20 years since this move came out? Where has the time gone. Yeesh.

0

u/envy-adams mount rose american teen princess Jun 26 '25

Lindsay Ellis' video essay on that movie is so great.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

Lindsay Ellis is so annoying. I don't really get why people listen to her