Russell Crowe used to be insane, threatened to kill people with his “bare hands”

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I’ve been watching the trailers for Robin Hood with growing trepidation. Judging from what I already know about the film, it seems like they did the best out of a weird filming situation, and you know how much I love my Cate Blanchett. So, I want the film to do well, even though I really think it might not. Of course, I’ve been wrong before. I remember, back in college, seeing the ads for Gladiator and thinking “only geeks who love Russell Crowe already will want to see this”. Because I already loved him back then, because of L.A. Confidential. But I was wrong – Gladiator became a phenomenon, and Russell won the Oscar for his performance.

Since then, my love for Russell has dissipated, just because he comes across as an a-hole in too many interviews and situations. Through the years, I’ve also heard various stories about how he’s an a-hole in real life, although some part of me always wanted to believe that he was just a nice, humble dude. Not so much, according to a new book. The book is The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks. The book is all about Dreamworks obviously, and Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, and the films that they’ve made together. According to Gawker, there are several Russell Crowe stories, all involving Gladiator (which Dreamworks produced). Here are the excerpts, via Gawker:

“You motherf-cker. I will kill you with my bare hands.”

“Hello?” Branko Lustig said, confused and barely awake; it was, after all, 3 a.m. in England.

“You motherf-cker,” the speaker repeated.

“Who’s on the phone? Who is this?” Lustig demanded.

When Russell Crowe identified himself, the genuinely terrified Lustig, one of the producers of the about-to-be-filmed Gladiator, hung up and called Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles.

“Steven,” he said. “I’m leaving. Russell wants to kill me. I’m leaving.”

Having survived a concentration camp, Lustig was not taking any chances.

Crowe, not yet Russell Crowe, but still just another verkakte Australian coming off a sleeper (L.A. Confidential), was sour because he believed DreamWorks was low-balling his assistants on their per diems. Rather than raise this grievance at a mundane daylight hour, Crowe opted for a more dramatic statement, a tactic not unknown in these parts. The actor’s recent behavior had been erratic, just like everything else on the project.

************
After Ridley Scott talked Russell into coming back for the cast’s read-through:

Finally, Crowe materialized—unrepentant and sans affability. If Scott’s pep talk had any effect, it seemed to have lodged deep in the actor’s subconscious. Crowe played along, but refused to summon a scintilla of good humor. He didn’t so much recite his lines as growl them in a deranged accent that flitted between indeterminate continents of origin. More absurd was Oliver Reed’s delivery. Even though his lines were as long as haiku, he filled them with dramatic flourishes. Having recently renounced drinking, he said that the only thing he was chugging was lemonade, but the question was just what he was mixing in the stuff.

“My oold frrriend,” he read, puckering his lips and rolling his r’s with all the pomp of a 17th century thespian.

Crowe, in turn, chewed up monologues, spitting out each and every poisonous syllable.
Screenwriter John Logan, who has lovingly crafted many of these lines, watched in horror. He scrawled four words on a piece of paper: “Kill me! Kill me!”

A month later, after filming in England, the shoot moved to Ouarzazate, Morocco – a town near the Sahara Desert, where Hollywood has traditionally gone for its sword and sandal needs (Lawrence of Arabia was filmed in the area). Crowe’s mood did not improve. Twice, he had walked off the set. Even when he was supposedly having “fun,” Crowe was a puffy pain. After challenging members of the crew to a foot race, and losing, he would mutter for days, “I would have won, but I can’t run in the sand in sandals.”

************************

Never were Crowe’s spirits more in flux than when he was to read the climactic, “And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next” scene, in which his character, Maximus, removes his helmet and reveals his identity. It was only the most seminal line in the entire movie, and yet Crowe was convinced that it was ridiculous – overwrought, puffery that no man would ever be caught dead saying, least of all a brawny, sword-carrying killer standing under the unrelenting African sun. Scott was one of the few people who seemed to understand Crowe, that underneath all that volatility was a very scared actor who needed to feel safe. Rather than blow up at him, Scott waited until the tantrum subsided. Then he agreed to shoot the scene the way Crowe preferred.

After doing the take, Crowe still looked dissatisfied. “Let me see the other script again,” he said to Scott, referring to the loathed revision. After studying the page stonily, he shrugged. “Well, we might as well try it.”

And so, the scene was reshot. Everyone agreed it was brilliant. Everyone, that is, but Crowe. “Russell, what’s the problem?” Scott asked, finally showing a hint of exasperation. “It worked.”

“It was sh-t,” Crowe repeated, “but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh-t sound good.” And with that he marched off.

[Book excerpt, via Gawker]

Could these stories be total bullsh-t? Of course. But I believe them. I can totally imagine Russell saying and doing these things. But I’d just like to point out one thing, in Russell’s defense – I saw him talking about the production for Gladiator, and they truly didn’t have a working script the entire time they filmed. Many lines were ad-libbed by many actors, and Ridley Scott mostly cared about the action, not the characters. I guess what I’m saying is that it must have been a horrible way to work, and I forgive Russell for some of his crazy. But calling himself “the greatest actor in the world”? Please.

Russell Crowe Picks The Wet Smoking Section Over The Kids Table!

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41 Responses to “Russell Crowe used to be insane, threatened to kill people with his “bare hands””

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  1. california angel says:

    Kaiser, you should check out the south park with him (unless you’ve already since it, of course) it’s great..lol..

  2. Susette says:

    Kaiser, if you never read Jack Marx’s tale about dealing with Crowe, you must! Neither Marx or Crowe come off well, but it’s a fascinating read. Marx won the Walkley Award for it.

    http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/when-i-was-russell-crowes-stooge/2006/06/06/1149359738242.html?page=fullpage

  3. lucy2 says:

    I do think he is a good actor and I enjoy his work, but I’m also willing to believe every word of this! He’s a jerk with a big ego and anger issues, a lovely combination all around.

  4. carrie says:

    and? during “a good year” filming set in France,he bought free drinks for every one in a town’s pub!
    during “3H10 yuma” set, he invited technicians the week-end for barbecue!

    he can be a jerk and he can be a nice guy!

  5. Naye in VA says:

    interestinlgy they keep talking about him “gruffing” out his lines but, he won an Oscar for it! lol. He was mad that his people were being shorted. Maybe he’s not an asshole but thats just the type of person he is and thats how he knows how to get things done. Many people arent the type to say hey lets have a meeting about how you’re screwing me over. i dont think much about celebs who pucnh paps in the face because i personally feel that most paps should be punched in the face, so i cant fault him that one.
    I think his attitude is very sensationlaized in the media

  6. Jean says:

    Best actor in the world? On what planet?
    He wasn’t even the best actor in that particular movie, with Joaquin Phoenix acting circles around him.

  7. Carrie says:

    I think he’s a blowhard, no doubt.
    However, stories of actors (and directors) acting like tantruming three year olds on set are nothing new- I found the behind the scenes stuff from “I Heart Huckabees” to be riveting- a situation where the script and direction changed seemingly daily, and the actors were feeling lost and confused.

    see the classic director freak out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Qls1rAfYs

  8. buckley says:

    I tend to believe this. Then again I’m not his biggest fan. Talented, yes, but not uniquely so.

  9. Mairead says:

    Meh, more than one critic has referred to him as “a thug with a thug with a lucrative sideline in acting”

    And they’re not friggin’ wrong!

    There’s also a third group who saw the film for reasons other than it looked good – those of us who were sometime pupils of the formidible historical consultant who, despite being a very nice person, terrified us! 😉

    Oh – and don’t be bein’ mean about Ollie Reed author of book! *shakes fist*

  10. irl says:

    I LOVE him and he can do no wrong ever.

    I think the relationship he and Scott have he can totally kid around and say , I am the greatest actor in the world so I can pull it off.
    It’s joking around, similar to how me and the husband will say I’m the best cook in the world or he’s the best handyman inthe world.

  11. buckley says:

    “…with Joaquin Phoenix acting circles around him.”

    I always thought so too!

  12. Aitch says:

    Well he was HOT in the days on LA Conf. and Gladiator.
    Anyone remember when he threw the phone at the NY concierge–and he was sued for that.

  13. Aitch says:

    Kaiser: Thanks for the tip on the Dreamworks book. I will def. check that one out!!!

  14. meme says:

    “…with Joaquin Phoenix acting circles around him.”

    oh puhleeze…Mr. Crowe squashed him like a bug. Crowe OWNED Gladiator. and I love him too but he’s fucked up behavior messed up his career.

  15. Iggles says:

    “It was sh-t,” Crowe repeated, “but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh-t sound good.” And with that he marched off.

    Oh c’mon!!! Get over yourself!! You certainly ARE NOT.

  16. LindyLou says:

    Never liked the guy. I totally believe he’s a huge a-hole. Looks like he has chunked out too….and in that last picture – is he missing teeth?? Looks like he forgot his upper dentures!

    Hotness FAIL

  17. buckley says:

    For once I’d like to see him sporting good hair.
    He just never does!

  18. Mentok the Mind Taker says:

    Making movies, Making songs,
    And Fightin’ ’round the World!

    Trey Parker is a God.

  19. Lala11_7 says:

    Klaus Kinski would eat Russell and spit him out when it comes to the “tempermental actor” department…

    What breaks my heart about Russell is when I look at his whole body of work…its like ever since “Beautiful Mind”…he’s been phoning it in…

    I’ll take the “attitude” if I get the end result…and this Robin Hood…makes Kevin’s Robin Hood look MIND-BLOWING!!! And we can all remember…well, some of us anyway…can remember what a DEBACLE KEVIN’S ROBIN HOOD WAS (albeit, not box office wise)….

  20. birdgherl says:

    I have heard some epic tales from my H-Wood friends…storming off the set and locking himself in his trailer, alienating everyone on the set, having everyone on egg shells based on his moods (do you realize how many people there are on a robin hood set??) and of course, there the incessant cheating on the wife thing…

  21. Carrie says:

    Susette: That article was really interesting- thanks for providing a link!

  22. malina says:

    And ppl say Joaquin is crazy? At least he seems to be nice to those around him. I believe there’s a portion of insanity to each of us (But I didn’t like the beard).

    Crowe owned Gladiator because he had a lead role and it was all about him, that’s obvious. But JP’s role was just mastered.

  23. Camille says:

    The Aussies are welcome to keep him forever, the Kiwis don’t want him.

  24. canadianchick says:

    I saw him recently on Leno, ypu could tell Leno and him didn’t click at all, Crowe spoke mosyly to the audience instead of his interviewer. He’s a thug who has become fug, used to respect him but not now.

  25. LBees says:

    God he’s so hot though.

    I would do him, anywhere, anytime.

    (EVEN WITH THE BEER BELLY I WOULDN’T CARE)

  26. texasmom says:

    I remember seeing Gladiator and thinking it was great. Then I watched the HBO Rome series and the film became literally unwatchable! I threw out the video!

  27. tar says:

    He also used to be hot. I guess everything wans with age.

  28. Confuzzle says:

    He’s a well known asshole who has been bullying people for years.

    I think he forgets he’s an actor.

  29. smilelover says:

    He was having a party with the “Rabbitohs” at the „W“ hotel near his apartment in Sydney where they had to close the bar because of damages to furniture and so on…

    throwing tantrums before his gigs with his band 30 odd foot something…

    the bar brawls http://rebelrabbitohs.com/Russell/Sun_141102.pdf

    publically hitting drunk on a woman in a Toronto bar when he was already married…

    ruining the script and filming of “Eucalyptus” http://www.maximumcrowe.net/eucalyptus/eucalyptus_inprint.html

    and so on and on, he thinks he’s special and deserves special treatment

  30. SouthLondon says:

    I’m not so sure – last year he attended Wimbledon and the papers the next day reported that he had been giving a steward a hard time, demanding a better seat and generally being arrogant and obnoxious – but my mum happened to be sitting nearby and overheard the whole thing. He was trying to get a message to a friend of his sitting in a different section and had been perfectly polite and pleasant (and trust me, my mum would have told him off herself if he hadn’t!).

    But some photos were taken of him gesturing while talking to this steward and the story invented wholesale from that…

    Not saying he’s not been obnoxious on other occasions, but knowing he was entirely innocent on that one makes me wonder.

  31. smilelover says:

    http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/12/1089484289309.html

    ‘Hammered’ Crowe’s Hemingway homage
    By Patty Huntington
    July 11, 2004
    Russell Crowe is renowned for his bar “etiquette” at venues from Sydney to London, so it’s not surprising to learn that the hellraiser reputation has followed him to Toronto, where he is filming Cinderella Man.
    An interesting twist in the Crowe files, however, is that, after a series of male plaintiffs notably BBC executive Malcolm Gerrie and New York DJ Moby said they were on the receiving end of some rough Crowe justice, speculation following a sighting of Crowe in a Toronto bar purports to suggest the Oscar winner is now focusing his attention on women.
    An alleged incident on June 27 at the aptly named Hemingway’s bar pegs Crowe getting a little too enthusiastic about some local women. Sparked by the posting of a Crowe-dedicated thread on a local online message board the following morning, the story was picked up by other boards and finally, last Sunday, by Toronto Star columnist Rita Zekas, who told readers she had received a “flurry of emails” on the subject.
    “There he is, last night . . . HAMMERED out of his skull at Hemingways [sic] in Yorkville . . . hitting on EVERYTHING that moves,” posted scuttlebutt initiator “bombthreat23” on June 28. “I mean right out there in the open, hands all over girls’ legs, begging girls not to leave . . . trying to kiss girls . . . then someone takes his lighter, and Mr Big shot asshole starts yelling and screaming, calling people bitches . . . then Mr I need to be centre of attention at all times takes his shirt off and starts siging [sic] . . . this guys [sic] is just a complete loser.”
    Where was Crowe’s wife, Danielle Spencer?
    Zekas says Crowe and Spencer had attended a matinee of Fahrenheit 9/11 that afternoon and then Crowe escorted Spencer back home and joined friends at Hemingway’s, where, said Zekas, “he reportedly indulged in everything but leg humping”.
    Hemingway’s owner, Kiwi expat Martin McSkimming, confirmed to The Sun-Herald Diary that Crowe was at the bar that night. Although McSkimming admits that he himself wasn’t present, he denied anything untoward happened.
    “I think it’s been blown out of all proportion I’ve got a lot of customers and a lot of staff and no one says it’s a problem at all,” said McSkimming, adding that 200 to 300 people were in the bar that night. “If we had had trouble with him we wouldn’t tolerate that.
    “It’s totally true,” counters a Toronto source, adding that this is not an isolated incident.
    The source said: “He was there [at Hemingway’s] last Sunday night as well, this time with his wife. She’s not letting him out of her sight.”
    When contacted by The Sun-Herald Diary last Thursday Crowe’s Australian publicist, Wendy Day, said she was unaware of the reports.
    The Sun-Herald
    This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/12/1089484289309.html

  32. beardreader says:

    I just read that article that Susette linked, great read! What a control freak D: It makes some of these blind items you read a lot easier to believe!

  33. tuatara says:

    Camille: The Aussies are welcome to keep him forever, the Kiwis don’t want him.

    Ha Ha! That is so true. It is always printed that he is an Aussie, when all NZers know that he is not. And yet no NZer says a word. We just quietly hope that the rest of the world has forgotten his true birth country!

  34. sickofit says:

    omg why is he so insecure? that linked story is pretty interesting. but i really think he is a very good actor, and what does count more he has that face which is mindblowing on screen. but he seems to be a little boy inside…

  35. kai says:

    I love those kind of stories. I don’t want actors to be normal people.

  36. Kelly says:

    RC has always, always been a legendary douche, even before he was anyone in particular. One of those ‘waiting to be worshipped’ desperadoes who never missed the chance to stand on someone else’s neck to get noticed.

    Google ‘Russ le Roq’ if you have five minutes and need a good laugh. That’s the Russell’s super-dumb new wave alter ego back in the day before someone in the music industry BEGGED him to consider acting.

    :-0)

  37. Victoria says:

    “but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh-t sound good.”
    Oh NO he did not say that! Well he wont be the FIRST “greatest actor in the world” whose ego killed his career.

  38. bite me says:

    a beautiful is my favoarite movie, too bad crowe is a douche

  39. LUCI LIU says:

    USED TO BE INSANE? I BEG TO DIFFER.

  40. LUCI LIU says:

    HE’S FROM AUSTRAILIA, LIKE MEL GIBSON.
    I HOPE HIS MOVIE BOMBS JUST LIKE MEL’S
    DID. AND HE’S A FAT PIG..

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