Gerard Butler may not have reached the same level of fame as former co-stars like Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan, or Matthew McConaughey, but he's definitely not a D-list celebrity.
He's had an impressive acting resume over the years, from 'Lara Croft' to 'Coriolanus' to a long list of swoon-worthy romantic comedies.
Still, fans have had a hard time defending him given his past performances in a handful of roles. Namely, the fact that he's always pretending to be someone he's not, but in the absolute worst way.
He may have imagined himself as Wolverine, one of the most 'American' superheroes (well, except for the few times he had an Australian accent), and played the romantic lead in many a romantic American film, but Gerard Butler doesn't happen to be American by birth.
True fans know this already, but Butler is Scottish -- and his natural accent is unmistakable.
The problem, say fans on Reddit, is that in most of his roles, Gerard is forcing an awkward and hard-to-pull-off-naturally American accent. Even the very best actors struggle with non-native accents, and Gerard has taken heat for having one of the worst.
Not to mention, he also adopted an Irish accent in 'PS I Love You,' which The Irish Sun reported he later regretted. In fact, Gerard acknowledged that both critics and viewers disliked his accent so much, he would never try one on again.
The thing is, fans don't much like his other accents, either. The fake ones he takes on for his on-screen roles have really forced fans to admit that he's not that natural of an actor in many movies. But finally, redemption arrived in the form of 'Greenland,' say Redditors, and let Gerard shine as the truly amazing actor that some fans swear they always knew he was.
So what was different in his 'Greenland' role, a film that saw him share screen time with social media star King Bach? The fact that Gerard didn't shed his natural Scottish accent, say Redditors. The effect? "He really shines," say fans, and the performance is proof that "Gerard Butler is legitimately a phenomenal actor."
Their only caveat? When he's not asked to attempt an American accent. (Or an Irish one)
Some fans already recognized the evidence that Gerard is just an all-around better actor when he's in his naturally Scottish element. For example, anyone who knew that Butler voiced Stoick the Vast in the 'How to Train Your Dragon' franchise already recognized his voice acting prowess. Sure, it may have been embellished a bit, but Scottish Gerard is far preferable to fake-American Gerard.
But for fans who were, admittedly, "unsure" of Butler's acting talent, 'Greenland' was their motivation to feel vindicated yet pleasantly surprised.