Being the Chieftain of Berk is a tough job. While other islands have pests like rats or mice, they have dragons. Which is why if you’re going to rule this sturdy Viking isle, you’re going to need the best right-hand man available (so to speak and pun intended). Enter How To Train Your Dragon stars, Gerard Butler’s Stoic the Vast and his most trusted friend, Nick Frost’s Gobber!
All joking aside, I could not be more proud to have chatted with these two amazing actors for How To Train Your Dragon. This has always been a franchise about tolerance and fighting prejudice, and characters like Gobber faced scrutiny in the original franchise for being LGBTQ+. However, it was an important part of this character, who wasn’t exclusively defined by his preferences and was unfairly judged for it as well, despite it being a detail that made him richer as a character. And given it is Pride Month, it’s actually wonderful that we get to celebrate this character, as well as LGBTQ+ creator Dean DeBlois, by having interviews for this amazing film! Especially given all actor Nick Frost had to say about exploring more of Gobber’s story in further live-action sequels.
We also had a chance to chat with modern-day legend, Butler about how he made some terrific acting changes to his character, Stoic the Vast, the same character he portrayed in the original films. The risks and challenges he rose up to in order to portray a character he’s known for over 15 years in live-action were actually well calculated and delivered. And we had a chance to go over these updates with him during our interview!
To see what Berk’s best buddies had to say about their characters and their love for this franchise, check out our interview with Frost and Butler right here:
We have one more How to Train Your Dragon interview coming real soon, with director DeBlois and the cast of Berk’s finest dragon riders, including Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn. And we can’t wait for you all to see it!
We also shared with everyone our interview with stars Mason Thames and Nico Parker, which you can check out right here!
Be sure to catch How To Train Your Dragon, hitting theaters June 13th!
