“I can make even garbage sound good”: Russell Crowe Refused to Speak 1 Iconic Line in ‘Gladiator’ That Made Him Win the Oscar, Kept Throwing Hissy Fits to Get His Own Way on Set
- Russell Crowe did not want play the Roman General in Ridley Scott's Gladiator.
- The actor was convinced to take up the part after he spoke to the director & the producer.
- The Insider actor was unhappy with constant script re-writes.
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, revitalized the sword-and-sandals epic, which is recognized as one of the best historical movies of all time. Scott was keen on making a movie that depicted ancient Rome in the most realistic way possible for which he wanted to avoid the clichés of the sword-and-sandal epic. Interestingly, three writers; David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson are credited for the screenplay but they all worked on the script at different times.
Upon release, the movie that is now recognized as a movie that paved the way for more historical epics became the second highest-grossing movie of 2000. Critics and the audience praised the performances of the actors, direction, cinematography, and more. But the process of filming a movie depicting ancient Rome wasn’t easy for the cast and crew and not easy for the screenwriter.
Russell Crowe reveals he didn’t want to play Roman general Maximus in Gladiator
In a group interview with Variety for the 20th anniversary of the movie Gladiator, the cast of the movie gathered to share their experience of working on the movie. Producer Walter Parkes shared that he had pulled out a 19th-century painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme and showed it to Ridley Scott, who then agreed to work on the movie.
Scott added that he is a very visually driven director, so when he saw the painting, he stared at it for a moment, and it was like a flash, so he agreed without knowing the story. The filmmaker said it was one of those knee-jerk flash decisions that are normally accurate.
During the conversation, it was discovered that Russell Crowe was not very keen on taking up the role of Roman general Maximus, as he described that when he read the script, it didn’t seem like a movie to him. But later, he spoke to Parkes and Scott regarding his part and their vision for the movie and agreed to do it. However he said,
I was just coming off the shoot of The Insider. I was gigantic. I had no hair because I had been wearing a wig in that movie, so I had shaved my head to make it more comfortable, and the wigs went on quicker. I didn’t look like any Roman general.
Screenwriter David Franzoni revealed that during his stop in Baghdad, Iraq, he started reading a novel titled Those About to Die by Daniel P. Mannix, which gave him the idea for Gladiator. During his Variety interview, he said what the novel had was an understanding of how to connect who and how they were to who. He added the novel had a very clear understanding that the coliseums were a sports franchise.
Russell Crowe was not happy with the Gladiator script’s re-writes
Reportedly, the actor was unhappy with the script of the movie throughout filming, and he often refused to say lines including, ‘I will have vengeance, in this life or the next.’
Screenwriter William Nicholson shared during his conversation with the Daily Mail that he was called in two days before filming to work on the key scenes of the movie. Crowe who was already unhappy with the script was reluctant to film but did it anyway. The screenwriter noted the actor told him,
Your lines are garbage, but I’m the greatest actor in the world, and I can make even garbage sound good.
The screenwriter explained that the lines weren’t garbage and the actor was a bit aggressive. But he is a great actor, so his occasional fits of arrogance didn’t bother him at all. He further explained that the movie was in a lot of trouble when he was called in, and he did everything he could to help. Nicholson, however, did acknowledge that Crowe was under a lot of pressure and stress and understood that the movie was on his shoulders.
Nicholson mentioned that Crowe’s response to stress and pressure is to be strong and aggressive, and at times he was resistant to doing a new scene but would eventually say to give it a shot. He lastly added Crowe was very demanding but professional. The actor won an Academy Award for Best Actor at the 73rd Academy Awards.
Gladiator is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount Plus.
