Russell Crowe makes a confession – He almost declined his award-winning Gladiator role, thinking the script to be poor

We all know it by now! As an actor, Russell Crowe is a tough choice to land for any role. At 56, the actor was a part of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as a remote guest on Wednesday, June 25th, 2020, confessed some lesser-known truths about his character.

What are the two films?

The first one is his upcoming release, “Unhinged,” which is releasing this year! The second one came as a surprise to many of his fans. The actor seemed to have almost said no, for his award-winning character in Gladiator. Russell Crowe went on to win the Oscar Gold, as Best Actor for this film. Recollecting old memories, Crowe called the entire Gladiator film making as “a unique experience.” Mostly because he thought that the initial script was highly questionable. In his words, Russell Crowe said, “It was just so bad. It was like, Okay, Ummm”.

The producer’s act

However, the producer with whom Crowe was speaking. At that time had no idea that he had seen the film script’s initial version. However, he was successful in convincing Russell Crowe to meet Ridley Scott, the director of Gladiator. The producer said that he would want to urge Crowe to meet Ridley Scott. To quote the producer, he said, “It’s 180 A.D., you’re a roman general, and Ridley Scott is directing you. Just think about that”. We all know that the rest is history, and also the film earned every bit of its success. Also, Ridley and also Russell connected excellently from their initial meeting.

Gladiator won the Academy Awards, and also that wasn’t just for Crowe only. The film appreciated the Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, and also Best Sound. So, one can imagine that the initial script which Crowe turned down. Got researched and revised extensively. Gladiator also got nominated for Oscar for its screenplay.

The actor’s memories with Gladiator

Russell Crowe shared his experience of working on Gladiator. He confessed it to be a tough job, which involved a little risk. He acknowledges that he took ample chance with this film. However, mulling on the creative aspect of the film, the actor said that he could feel the collective energy. Everyone he saw was living in the world which the director had so beautifully created. Even after twenty years, people still talk about this film, which is a rarity for most movies. But once he witnessed how the film’s description moved and also intrigued his friends, Crowe decided to say yes to his part.

The forthcoming projects

Russell Crowe is awaiting his next release, “Unhinged,” which is a thriller. It’s about a man in road rage and also who gradually cracks. Viewers can watch it on theatres next month as the lockdown rules get eased up a little.