Gerard Butler said he and others involved in his new movie had to cut some of their promotions in Saudi Arabia following the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist. | Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP Media Actor Gerard Butler gives press briefing at Pentagon about new movie

The Defense Department, which reporters have criticized over its infrequent news conferences, featured the actor Gerard Butler in the Pentagon Briefing Room on Monday to promote his new movie about a U.S. Navy submarine.

The Scottish actor is publicizing his latest film, “Hunter Killer,” which will premiere the weekend of Oct. 26. The movie involves a group of Navy SEALs tasked with saving a kidnapped Russian president in an effort to stop World War III.


The briefing came as reporters covering the Defense Department have complained that they are not receiving the information they need to keep the public informed about U.S. military activities.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last held a news briefing at the Pentagon on Aug. 28 . Department spokeswoman Dana White has not held a briefing since May.

Butler said he spent three days in a Navy submarine in Pearl Harbor, where he said it was like “entering another country, another world — it’s like an alien planet.”

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He was able to see how the submarine functions and took part in training drills, such as “man overboard.”

The actor also said he and others involved in the movie had to cut some of their promotions in Saudi Arabia after the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist. Butler was set to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“It just didn’t seem like a situation that we would want to get into,” Butler said.

When asked about his main takeaway from his time on the submarine, Butler said it was how sailors are “constantly being tested” and forced to think logistically, intuitively and creatively.

“What I really took out of it was the brilliance and the humility of the sailors I worked with,” he said.

