How Gerard Butler ‘Almost Killed’ Hilary Swank While Making ‘P.S. I Love You’

Gerard Butler’s action movies showcase plenty of risky stunts for himself and his co-stars, but it turns out that one of his romantic comedies wound up being just as dangerous as something like Plane. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in January, Butler said he accidentally injured his P.S. I Love You co-star Hilary Swank while filming the 2007 box office hit. Swank, 48, even needed treatment at the hospital.

Butler, 53, and Swank were filming the scene where Butler’s character wears shamrock boxers with suspenders. He pulls the suspenders too hard, and one of the clips hit his face. During one take, the clip didn’t land where it was supposed to. Instead, it got stuck on a television.

“The camera people had plastic fronts to protect themselves from this crocodile clip,” Butler explained to Drew Barrymore. “It was so dangerous, I had to ping it and it would go past my face. I’m crawling towards the bed, it gets stuck, it releases, flies over my head, hits her in the head, slashes her head, I cut her open.” 

Swank was rushed to the hospital, and everyone suddenly left the set. Butler was stuck standing in his boxers and boots with no one around. He felt so bad that he started crying. “I just scarred Hilary Swank, I almost took her eye out, I made a fool of myself for two days and this is all I have to show for it. She’s off to the hospital, there’s nobody on set,” Butler said. He explained that the incident led to him developing a case of imposter syndrome.

Butler and Swank made P.S. I Love You a box office success, overcoming negative reviews to gross over $150 million worldwide. It is based on the book by Cecelia Ahern about a widow (Swank) who discovers that her deceased husband Gerry (Butler) has left encouraging messages behind to help her after his death. In February 2020, Variety reported that Alcon Entertainment acquired the film rights to Ahern’s follow-up novel Postscript, with plans to develop it as a sequel to P.S. I Love You. However, there have been no updates on that project since then.

If Postscript is made, Butler probably won’t be involved. In November 2016, the Scottish apologized for his Irish accent in P.S. I Love You. “After all those wonderful reviews and glorious feedback, I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ve ticked that box,” he told The Sun.

Butler can now be seen in theaters in Plane, a new action movie co-starring Mike Colter. Meanwhile, Swank stars in ABC’s newspaper drama Alaska Daily, which returns for the second half of its first season on Feb. 23. Swank and her husband, Philip Schneider, are also expecting twins.