It has become one of the most iconic lines in cinematic history – and it was a complete surprise to everyone on set…

Since he played the legendary Leonidas, king of Sparta, in Zack Snyder ‘s 300 , Gerard Butler has mentioned him several times: his cult line, “ This is Sparta! ” (“ We are Spartans! ” in the dubbed French version) was somewhat improvised – at least in the way it was pronounced!

In a 2019 interview with GQ, for example, Gerard Butler explained: “ I had done quite a few takes and most of them were like ‘This is Sparta!’ ”, which he pronounces with a low, monotonous growl.

Indeed, after trying different “ This is Sparta!” ” varying in intensity, the dedicated actor – who did not hesitate to put his health at risk for the peplum – is still not satisfied.

Thinking about the ferocity of the character he plays and those around him, he has an idea. As the film crew is about to move on to the next scene, he asks to shoot one last take: he then pronounces his line which has become cult in an angrier way than ever, the line as we know it, the one seen in the film.

“ I turn around and all the stunt guys are dying of laughter ,” he said in another interview with a hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. “ And I walk up to Zack and I say, ‘Was that too much?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah! But it was great!’ ”

When it was released in 2007, 300 was a huge success at the box office, grossing $456 million worldwide against a budget of $65 million.

Find all the times Gerard Butler mentioned his iconic line in this video published by Outstanding Screenplays on YouTube.