Russell Crowe Initially Did Not Want To Do 'Gladiator'

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time and it was the movie that took Russell Crowe’s popularity to a whole new level. For the film’s 20th anniversary, Scott and Crowe decided to share how the project changed their lives and why the actor was initially not excited to join the movie.

In an interview with Variety, the dynamic duo disclosed some secrets about the movie and shared their experience while working on it. The director explained that producer Walter Parkes actually showed him a picture of a knight losing his mind over a glass wine when he presented the idea for the movie.

The acclaimed filmmaker saw the painting and immediately said yes to the project without having any specific idea about the story.

“I am a very visually driven director. Parkes opened a picture of a painting by a fellow called Jean-Leon Gerome. When you are experienced like me, you can do a little knee-jerk flash decision, and normally it is accurate. So, I said, ‘I will do it,’” Scott said.

The movie chronicled the journey of Maximus (portrayed by Crowe), a former Roman general who was set to take revenge against a corrupt emperor named Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) for murdering his family. Maximus was demoted from his position and got relegated to fighting till death as a gladiator.

The “Beautiful Mind” actor was pretty skeptical about the project at first and did not say yes before talking about it to Scott. The actor further stated that, at the time, he had been working on a movie called “The Insider,” for which he had shaved his shaved, and this did not make him look like a Roman general.

“I had read the script and I thought it was not a movie. But then Parkes said, ‘It’s 184 A.D., you are a Roman general, and you are going to be directed by Ridley Scott.’ And that was enough for me to want to talk to Ridley. I was just coming off the shoot of ‘The Insider.’ I didn’t look like any Roman general,” Crowe said.

The esteemed actor concluded by saying that he is quite fortunate to be part of the movie that is still considered one of the greatest films even 20 years after its release.

“It has been 20 years since it came out. Not every movie lasts in that way,” Crowe said.

The film went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Crowe won the Best Actor trophy while Phoenix was nominated in the Supporting Actor category. The movie was also named one of the top 10 films of 2000 by the American Film Institute (AFI).

The film was a financial success as well. It accumulated more than $460 million globally on a production budget of $103 million.