Scottish actor Gerard Butler admits he probably would not survive a real post-apocalyptic world, even though he plays a survival expert in the new disaster film Greenland 2: Migration, which releases January 9, 2026.​

Butler, 56, stars as John Garrity, a structural engineer who must guide his family through a destroyed Earth after a comet strikes the planet. In the sequel, the Garrity family leaves their bunker in Greenland and travels across the ruins of Europe looking for somewhere safe to live. Butler said he would likely be one of the first people to die if such a disaster actually happened.​

The actor said that thoughts about real-world catastrophes are constantly on his mind. He discussed what he would do and how he would feel if the world were truly coming to an end. He also opened up about his personal worries regarding current global events and their potential dangers, according to People.​

Despite his concerns about actually surviving the apocalypse, Butler shared where he would want to be if the world were ending. The Scottish star finds peace in nature and would choose to spend his final days outdoors in his home country.

Butler explained that if he knew the world was ending, he would prefer to be sitting on a mountain overlooking a Scottish loch or standing on a cliff looking out at the ocean. He believes that being in nature brings comfort and perspective, even during the worst situations.​

The new film comes six years after the original Greenland, which came out during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Butler noted that audiences connected strongly with the first film because it dealt with fears that felt real at that time. The success of the original movie led filmmakers to create a sequel that would show how people might survive and rebuild after such a massive disaster, the Hindustan Times reported.​

Greenland 2: Migration brings back Butler alongside Morena Baccarin, who plays his wife Allison, and Roman Griffin Davis as their son Nathan. The movie examines what happens when families must work together to survive, and how people react when facing the end of civilization. Butler's character is not a trained hero but an ordinary man who only uses violence when he must protect those he loves.​

Butler has discussed how he has grown as an action star over his career. He prefers playing characters that regular audiences can understand and relate to, rather than superhuman action heroes. This approach makes his characters more believable because viewers can imagine themselves in those same situations.​

Butler has not ruled out making another Greenland film. He expressed interest in exploring what would happen next and how survivors might start to rebuild society after such destruction, as per WHTC.

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Gerard Butler