Gerard Butler was all too perfect to play a viking chief in How to Train Your Dragon.

Costar Mason Thames, who plays Hiccup in the 2025 live-action remake of the beloved animated movie series, recounts how the 55-year-old Scottish actor evoked an intimidating viking spirit while filming.

“When he would walk on set, you would feel that presence,” Thames, 17, says of Butler, who reprises his role of Stoick the Vast from the animated films. “It’s insane to see it in person and him bringing that character to life with the voice, the energy, the giant brute force that Stoick is — him bringing that to life was so incredible to watch.”

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Thames notes that Butler, who has previously played intimidating characters such as Leonidas the King of Sparta in 300, was impressive to witness once he transformed into mighty Chieftain of Berk.

“I feel like he would walk on set and everybody would kind of cower a little bit, including myself,” Thames says, describing how people would see Butler in full costume and makeup — beard, armor and all — and call him “chief.”

The Black Phone 2 actor says that working with Butler and “building chemistry” as they tackled their father-son dynamic for the film was enjoyable because of the “energy” he brought to set.

The new film is directed by Dean DeBlois, director of the animated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, The three animated films, inspired by author Cressida Cowell’s bestselling book series, came out in 2010, 2014 and 2019, and each earned Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature.

The new How to Train Your Dragon also stars Nico Parker as the intrepid Astrid, Hiccup’s love interest and Nick Frost as Gobber, Hiccup’s mentor.

The cast also features Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz and Murray McArthur.

A synopsis for the film teases, “On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.”

How to Train Your Dragon is now in theaters.