Gerard Butler takes in sun, selfies in TA
Scottish actor hangs out with his good friend, Israeli director Ariel Vromen
Scottish actor and heartthrob Gerard Butler has been turning heads on the beaches of Tel Aviv this weekend.
Butler, who generally splits his time between Los Angeles and Glasgow, touched down in Israel Thursday night, alongside Israeli-born talent agent Tomer Shmulevich.
Since then – at least according to social media – Butler has been taking in the sun and sites and posing for dozens of selfies with Israeli fans.
The actor – known for his roles in 300, The Phantom of the Opera and P.S. I Love You – has also been spending time with his close friend, Israeli director Ariel Vromen.
Vromen and Butler date all the way back to 2000, when the actor appeared in the director’s short film, Jewel of the Sahara. Since then the pair have remained close and visited each other regularly; in January they and their girlfriends rang in the new year together in Tulum, Mexico.
Butler was last in Israel in 2013 to promote his film Olympus Has Fallen, and even met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a mimouna celebration at the home of the late film producer Leon Edery. Last year, Butler attended an IDF fund-raiser in Los Angeles, which brought in $54 million.
On Friday and Saturday, Butler appeared relaxed and happy and content to pose for selfies with fans up and down the boardwalk – and even snapped a photo with famed Israeli model Neta Alchimister.
Butler seemed a little less relaxed when he met up with another familiar face – Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard, who was easily able to read the actor’s mind.
“How did it happen?” Suchard asked the actor in a video he posted to Instagram.
“Because I’m very easy to read,” Butler said, before adding: “I don’t know how it happened! I wish I knew, but I don’t!”