Do you know how hot I used to be for Russell Crowe? This was back before Gladiator even came out. I was hot for Russell when I saw LA Confidential. BUD WHITE!!! God, I love that movie. And Big Russ was super-hot in it, in a man’s man kind of way, but he was also vulnerable and interesting, like a young Marlon Brando. Then of course came Gladiator, and every lady in the world wanted to ride his jock. And then he gained some weight and barely worked, and when he did work, his girth (and not the good girth) was always a topic of conversation.

Well, Russell has lost the weight – these are new photos of Not-So-Big Russ at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards on Friday, in LA. I haven’t seen new photos of Crowe in months and months, it feels like. He looks… good? But maybe not? I don’t know, I can’t decide. I had gotten so used to seeing the bigger Russell, to the point where I kind of liked the extra meat on him. Plus, I think his skin looks weird, like he overdid the foundation. Basically, I’m glad that he’s trying out a maybe healthier lifestyle/diet, but he also looks a bit sickly to me now.

So, here are the questions: would you still hit it? Would you have ever hit it? Would you be more likely to hit it now, or back when he was in the midst of a love affair with ice cream?

Oh, and in case you miss seeing a random, beefy, hairy Australian, I threw in a photo of Joel Edgerton at the same event. He’s been hit with Russell Crowe Syndrome – hard. I hope it’s for a role?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN.

With mere weeks until shooting begins on Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel, the drunk-tweeting Russell Crowe has reportedly all but bagged the role of Jor-El. As fans of both comic books and the original movie will remember, Jor-El is Superman’s biological father, and this is a pretty plum role for Crowe at this stage in his career. See what a faux controversy surrounding a fairly amusing circumcision conversation can do in terms of revamping one’s overall marketability? Seriously, I kid.

Ever since he agreed to oversee the franchise reboot of Superman, Christopher Nolan had been seeking a star for the role of Jor-El, Superman’s biological father.

Nolan now has his man: Russell Crowe.

Crowe is in negotiations for the key role in Man of Steel, which has Zack Snyder on board to direct for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Brit thesp Henry Cavill is set to play Superman. Warner Bros. declined to comment on the talks with Crowe.

Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Michael Shannon are already set for the pic. David Goyer penned the script and developed the story with Nolan, who has kept plot details under wraps, as usual.

With production set to start next month, Jor-El was one of the last roles to cast, though they also are looking for a name to play Superman’s biological mother.

Marlon Brando played the part of Jor-El in Richard Donner’s 1978 rendition of Superman. Other thesps who were pursued for the Man of Steel role included Sean Penn and Clive Owen.

[From Variety]

However much of a monstrosity the prospect of a Snyder-directed Man of Steel movie might turn out to be, the casting so far is pretty superb. The choice to cast Russell as Jor-El follows previous casting decisions of Henry Cavill as Superman, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Superman’s adoptive Earth parents, and Amy Adams as Lois Lane.. I might actually see this movie now, you know?

By the way, here’s Marlon Brando as the original Jor-El. The physical similarity to the current incarnation of Russell Crowe is simply uncanny.

Photos courtesy of Fame; Superman still of Marlon Brando courtesy of Obsessed With Film

Just a few days ago, Russell Crowe caused quite a stir by drunk tweeting his random thoughts concerning what he described as the “barbaric” practices of circumcision and abortion. In response, Kaiser had a lot of fun with Crowe’s obviously amusing and joking statements about these topics, especially when he called out Jewish director Eli Roth, who is not only friends with Crowe but also produced the actor’s upcoming movie, The Man With the Iron Fist. If you’ll remember correctly, Eli Roth has also endured his own infamous Twitter controversy, which took place about a year and a half ago and consisted of a shameless amount of cyber sex and tissue evidence. So when several movie blogs stumbled over each other in a mad dash to see who could be the first to label Crowe’s words as “anti-Semitic,” it’s only natural that Roth would be at the defensive forefront:

Eli Roth is outraged that a reporter for The Hollywood Reporter took what he says was a “joking exchange between friends” — Eli and Russell Crowe — and then attacked Crowe as being anti-Semitic.

It all started when Eli and Russell — who often tease each other on Twitter — were joking about circumcision. Crowe tweeted, “I love my Jewish friends. I love the apple and the honey and the funny little hats but stop cutting yr babies,” adding, “I’ll take attentive parenting over barbarism.”

Apparently a reporter from The Hollywood Reporter saw the exchange and went after Russell with a headline that said he “insults Jews.”

Eli tells TMZ, “The headline blatantly attempts to make Russell look like an anti-Semite. It’s tabloid journalism at its worst.”

Eli adds, “No one contacted either of us. It’s terrible. Russell is a great person and respectful of all religions.”

And, Eli says, “The press is trying to terrify celebrities into not using Twitter. They want to show they can still ruin you. It’s sickening.”

[From TMZ]

While Eli Roth obviously has a vested interest in Crowe’s public image at this point, I’d also wager that the two have a pretty good understanding between themselves of what constitutes a joke. While perhaps Crowe misjudged the collective Twitter response (especially when it comes to opportunistic reporters), all of this should be taken in context of Crowe’s overall Twitter pattern, which is generally casual when it comes to his vernacular and certainly not meant to be taken seriously. Still, does Roth have a point when he claims that certain media outlets would hope to intimidate celebrities into not using Twitter? Perhaps, but I think the more likely culprit is that Hollywood Reporter recently moved into a subscription format and would hope to reel in more paid readers with the help of so-called “controversial” headlines.

Meanwhile, Crowe was also snapped in his native Australia while taking a yacht-associated ride on a jet-ski. I’ll let you be the judge of that little excursion.

Correction: I accidentally posted photos of James Packer, the billionaire that was jet-skiing with Russell, whose physical transformation has indeed been drastic but, well, not that drastic. Here are some updated photos below:

Photos courtesy of Fame Pictures

I always forget that Russell Crowe is on Twitter. I should really start following him, but this morning, Big Russ is cracking me up. Russell caused something of Twitter scandal by using his Twitter to stand up to Big Circumcision (it’s a lobby, right?). Personally, I don’t have a dog on this particular hunt – I can see both sides, both pro and anti-circumcision, and I don’t have one particular preference in my personal experiences with dong. Russell, however, has very strong feelings. Maybe I’m just feeling warm towards Russ because he also took time out to support a woman’s right to choose, or maybe I just like that he interspersed his anti-circumcision tweets with shout-outs for the Newfoundland Folk Festival. It’s all really funny to me.

So… here are some of Russell’s tweets, in descending chronological order. First, Russell retweeted this question: “@russellcrowe Speaking of, my son is due soon. Do you think I should get him circumstanced?” Here is what followed:

one last hint, Newfoundland folk festival

Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect

RT: @russellcrowe Interesting that female circumcision is widely considered barbaric, while male circumcision is so widely accepted.

RT: @russellcrowe: Word! It is time for men to stand up for mens’ and boys’ rights. Circumcision is barbaric and akin to genital mutilation.

many jewish friends, I love my Jewish friends, I love the apples and the honey and the funny little hats but stop cutting yr babies @eliroth

@RealChopperRead @chrismurphys @eliroth Well mate, you cut off your own ears and did yourself out of a Rayban endorsement

@catryan46 same as tattoo’s/ plastic surgery;he is an adult and he “wants” it, then off u go,mothers were right 2 keep their babies intact

I will always stand for the perfection of babies, i will always believe in God, not man’s interpretation of what God requires

Abortion should always be a woman’s choice, there is no benefit to “forced” motherhood…you got it? don’t like it then bye

anyway, Newfoundland folk festival, think about it

RT from Eli Roth: @russellcrowe You didn’t seem to be complaining when I was recutting you this afternoon…

wasn’t intending offense, certainly wasn’t intending to provide fodder for lazy journalists. I can’t appologize for my heartfelt belief

[From Russell Crowe’s Twitter]

HE CALLED OUT ELI ROTH. Like Eli Roth is responsible, as a Jewish director and Twitter-follower, for circumcision. I don’t know… I find this funny. He’s entitled to his opinions, and it’s all good. It’s just a little humor in the morning. I need to start following Crowe’s Twitter.

UPDATE: Big Russ has apologized. He says: “I have a deep and abiding love for all people of all nationalities. I’m very sorry that I have said things on here that have caused distress. My personal beliefs aside I realize that some will interpret this debate as me mocking the rituals and traditions of others. I am very sorry.” BUT WHAT ABOUT THE NEWFOUNDLAND FOLK FESTIVAL?!!?!?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Russell talks about Twitter at 3:20 in

Russell Crowe was on The Today Show this morning promoting his new thriller The Next Three Days, with Elizabeth Banks. This is actually the first I’ve heard of this film, by director Paul Haggis, and it looks pretty good, although familiar. Spoilers follow that are also in the trailer. They weren’t entirely clear on The Today Show what the film is about, but I looked up the trailer afterwards and Crowe’s wife, played by Banks, gets arrested for a murder she claims she didn’t commit. He then tries to break her out of jail several years later when she becomes suicidal. It has Liam Neeson in it too!

Crowe was good natured and humorous with Matt Lauer, particularly when Lauer said he was surprised that Crowe has been spending so much time on Twitter. I didn’t know that Crowe tweeted either, and like Matt I didn’t think he was the type. Big Russ explained that he’s been a stay-at-home dad while his wife tours with her band and that he’s had some time to kill without the longer stretches that would allow him to be creative. He then added a few obligatory sentences about how it’s cutting edge technology that allows him to talk directly to fans. You know he’s just bored. Russell also said he’d quit coffee and cigarettes – at the same time – and admitted that it took him a couple of months to feel normal again and be able to concentrate.

Russell Crowe, tweeter? That was one question Matt Lauer had during Monday’s interview with the actor on TODAY.

“I’m in this place at the moment where I’m basically being Dad,” said the man behind @RussellCrowe. “I’m at home, my wife’s doing gigs and stuff with her band, she’s promoting a record (‘Calling all Magicians’). I take the boys to school in the morning, I pick them up in the afternoon, and then there’s the bedtime, and stories … I find there’s not a long length of time to get involved with anything creative,” Crowe said.

A recent tweet revealed that Crowe had given up two habits: “Blue Sky in NYC today. Haven’t slept a wink. It’ll make the interviews interesting, no cigs, no coffee and no sleep. Good luck Journalists,” it read. Lauer joked, “Do you realize there was a time when someone like me wouldn’t sit across from you while you’re giving up cigarettes and coffee at the same time?”

“I got cranky for some time,” Crowe conceded.

[From MSNBC]

Russell explained that he had the impetus to quit smoking when he “got caught smoking a cigarette by my eldest boy, Charlie [6]”

This guy is a hell of an actor and I like that he has a few pounds on him lately. Sure you can see a paunch when he’s sitting down, but he’s still sexy as hell – he’s Russell Crowe! I’ll take a guy with some weight on him over a skinny smoker any day. You guys can have Colin Farrell! (Kaiser!) After I saw him chain smoking on the In Bruges DVD extras I was pretty much over him.

Here’s the trailer for The Next Three Days, which has a lot of spoilers as mentioned above:

Russell is shown on 7/27/10 and with his wife, Danielle Spencer, on 5/21/10. Credit: Fame Pictures. Last photo below from 5/15/10. Credit: WENN.com

These are new photos of Russell Crowe at a big announcement in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday. The announcement? He’s just been named the narrator of the remake of Ben-Hur. I know, I know, but wait: it’s not some God-awful Hollywood remake where they cast Orly Bloom’s Dirtlip in the Charleton Heston part. No, it’s going to be a “live theater performance” in Australia, and Russell is going to take part in the live theater event – as the narrator. So, basically, he gets to sit around and eat doughnuts while he watches Orly Bloom act as Judah Ben-Hur live on stage. (Note: I have no idea who is actually going to play Judah Ben-Hur.)

So, is it just me, or does Russell look… a bit chubby? Not fat, mind you, I’m not saying he looks horrible or anything, I’m just pointing out that he looks very puffy in these photos. Russell seemed to give a bunch of interviews yesterday (probably answering questions at this photo call), and he ended up talking about how he just quit smoking. Yep… that’s probably why he’s gained some weight. Good for him for quitting!

Russell Crowe used to smoke so much his six-year-old son called cigarette smoke “daddy smell”.

The 46-year-old actor has two sons with his wife Danielle Spencer, Charlie, six, and three-year-old Tennyson. Russell has been a heavy smoker since he was 10 years old, but quit earlier this year.

He has now been smoke-free for almost two months, and is still marvelling at the way it has transformed his life. He says his young sons were so used to his habit, they thought cigarette smoke was his natural scent, and would often smell it in the street and assume he was nearby and hiding from them.

“Charlie called it Daddy smell. With Dani ,they’d walk past smokers on the street he’d say, ‘Mum, Dads here somewhere (sic),’” Russell wrote on his Twitter page.

Russell found quitting smoking much more difficult than he had anticipated. He posted messages on the social networking site daily for the first week, complaining of “wild dreams”, excess sweating and a hacking cough.

[From Music Rooms]

Yeah, I’m still thinking that he’s gained weight because he quit. His puffiness is probably from drinking too. Yesterday, Starpulse called him out for being “too tubby” and they claimed that there are a flurry of rumors that Russell had to be digitally “slimmed down” in Robin Hood. However, his rep claims those reports are “not true.” Meanwhile, as I look at these photos, I’m reminded of how I gave up my Russell crush for my Gerard Butler crush. They could play brothers, they look so much alike, in my opinion. Dirty moobtastic bastards.

By the way, I just wanted to throw this photo in here, since we’re talking about men gaining weight – Nick Nolte has certainly put on some pounds, hasn’t he? The difference with Nick is that the extra weight looks really good on him, he doesn’t look so gaunt and strung out. He was photographed on the NYC set of Arthur (the one with Russell Brand). It’s good to seem him working again too!

Russell on July 27, 2010 in Sydney. Nick Nolte on July 24, 2010. Credit for all: Fame.

It’s been said that Russell Crowe wants Robin Hood to be his comeback. It’s been said that Russell Crowe is willing to play the game this time. It’s been said that Russell Crowe is no longer a violent, angry, surly douche. Well, that last one was said by Russell, sort of. He’s been trying to convince everyone that he isn’t an “angry person” and that image of him is just a figment of the media’s imagination.

Except that he still is an angry person. True, he isn’t throwing phones or beating people up in Cannes, but he’s still an a-hole. Russell was being interviewed by the BBC at Cannes, and when the questioning got slightly difficult (and truly, these were not difficult questions), Crowe stormed out of the interview. First, the interviewer asked Russell about his accent in Robin Hood, and that’s when Russell started to lose it, you can tell. After that, the BBC interviewer asked him about the stories written about in that Dreamworks book, which had Russell uttering lines like, “It was sh-t… but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh-t sound good.”

Russell Crowe, in Cannes for “Robin Hood,” got up and walked out in the middle of a BBC radio interview.

Interviewer Mark Lawson first irritated Crowe by innocently asking about his accent in the film, saying he heard a hint of Irish. An unhappy Crowe responded, “You’ve got dead ears, mate, seriously dead ears if you think there’s an Irish accent.”

After Crowe rambles a few minutes about the character’s genesis, Lawson asks if the accent is more northern English.

Crowe replies, “No I was going for an Italian, yeah. Missed it? F-ck me. Anyway…”

But the final nail that made Crowe stand and just leave was when Lawson asked him about a newly published anecdote that says, during “Gladiator” filming, Crowe didn’t want to say the famous line, “I’ll take my revenge in this life or the next.”

Rather than answer, Crowe unhooks himself and walks out, saying, “I don’t get the Irish thing by the way.”

[From Huffington Post]

What a f-cking baby. Seriously, is he not capable of laughing this stuff off? Or just a simple, “That’s not the way I remember it, but whatever.” His reaction makes me believe the stories of his insanity even more. And what’s the big deal about asking about accents? Russell isn’t Meryl Streep, you know? He isn’t known for his hardcore authenticity with accents. Go back and re-watch Gladiator, and you’ll hear him do English, Australian and American accents. Seriously.

In one last Crowe note, a few days ago he was doing a larger press conference for Robin Hood and he was asked something along the lines of “If Robin Hood was a modern-day hero, who would his number one enemy be?” Russell’s reply: “My theory would be that if Robin was alive today he would be looking at the monopolization of media as the greatest enemy. Would he have in mind what you guys do for a living and realize that the true wealth lies in the dissemination of information?” Ugh… yeah, that must be why so many newspapers and media outlets are folding or losing money by the bucket-full. Because they’re so powerful. It just sounds like Russell was blaming the media – yet again – for reporting on his childish antics.

Russell in Cannes, with Danielle Spencer on May 12, 2010.

Here are some new photos of Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett at the photo call for Robin Hood. Robin Hood is the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival, and it’s also going to be Cate’s big “comeback” after more than a year spent doing theatre stuff in Australia and Washington. I’ve missed Cate, haven’t you? Especially on the red carpet. We needed her to be our great fashion icon. Cate was prepared too – delivering a great fashion moment in a very interesting, beautiful pale pink suit. Russell looks like he would rather be in a bar, or that he’s just come out of a bar.

Anyway, Russell and Robin Hood director Ridley Scott sat down for an interview with The Daily Telegraph. Russell is still trying to convince us that he’s not a hyper-aggressive toolbox, like he did in his GQ UK interview. The full Telegraph piece is here, and here are some of the highlights:

Russell on the character of Robin Hood: “We never assume that he is a charitable person, he’s not. He’s totally about looking after himself but he develops into this other thing, mainly driven by the desire, I suppose, to be loved by Marion.”

Russell on working with Ridley Scott: “I love working with him. On a film set with Ridley Scott I trust in the fact the infrastructure is there, I trust in the fact that even though he’s making an expensive movie it will not cost one dollar more than it needs to because he has a very responsible attitude to where the money’s being spent. He knows how many severed heads he’s got in the effects department; he knows what he can use and how quickly he has to move, and I really respect that.”

Russell on his image as an aggressive bully and a “difficult” actor: “When you read it in black and white it sounds like I was being ridiculously aggressive, but one of the main misunderstandings is that I’ve been sold as an angry person and that’s just not true. I like to put a lot of effort into what I do and that comes with a certain amount of energy, especially when you’re weary and it requires you to dig deep inside yourself… I certainly have a temper that can flare up, but having a temper is a completely different thing from being an angry person.”

[From The Telegraph]

Do I buy that Russell is just a misunderstood guy who has maligned in the press? Not really. I do think he’s such a talented actor, and I also think he’s probably a total douche unless he considers you a friend.

By the way, the tales of Robin Hood’s disastrous film production have already come out, but here’s another piece of “what were they thinking?” info. While everyone knows that it was a very expensive film to make, and that it went over budget, new information indicates that it ended up going about $80 million over-budget. Originally, it was thought that it cost $155 million to make, but the actual budget is rumored to be $237 million. And that’s before the promotional and marketing costs! Good Lord. They really need this movie to be a hit.

Cate and Russell in Cannes on May 12, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Russell Crowe is the cover boy for the June issue of GQ UK, all to promote Robin Hood. But don’t go thinking that this will be a profile of one of the biggest, most hardcore actors around! Oh, no. From the man who allegedly told a director, “I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh-t sound good” we get this lovely quote: “I know some hard men, mate, and I am not a hard man. I’m a guy who likes poetry, who writes songs. I put on make-up for a living.” Excellent! Mascara? Here’s more from the GQ interview, courtesy of The Telegraph:

Russell Crowe says his hard man image is a myth, claiming he is a poetry-loving pacifist who wears make-up for a living and disapproved of hellraiser Oliver Reed. The actor, star of the forthcoming Robin Hood remake, prefers to fell his opponents with “intellectual barbs” rather than his fists.

“I am always described as ‘Hollywood Hard Man’. It’s just ridiculous. I know some hard men, mate, and I am not a hard man. I’m a guy who likes poetry, who writes songs. I put on make-up for a living. Give me a break. If I was a hard man, I wouldn’t be any good at my job,” Crowe told GQ magazine.

“How many times have you read that I punch photographers? I have never punched a photographer. But I have thrown some of the sharpest intellectual barbs in my life at guys who are chasing me down the street with a camera. I cut them to the quick. They’re lucky to get home with any blood in their system emotionally. And they hate me for it. I’m not sorry.”

His love of verse was evident in 2002, when he threatened a TV producer who cut his poetry recital from a Bafta broadcast. Crowe conceded that he gave the producer “a good single poke in the chest” but said he was suffering from jetlag at the time.

Crowe was scathing about one of Hollywood’s most notorious hellraisers, Oliver Reed, his co-star in Gladiator. Reed died mid-way through filming in Malta after a mammoth drinking session.

“I never got on with Ollie. He has visited me in dreams and asked me to talk kindly of him. So I should… but we never had a pleasant conversation,” Crowe said. “I have seen him walk down the street in Malta drunk as a lord and just hit anybody he got near to – even a man walking with his children. I just found that to be… not impressive. He drank himself to death. He sat on a bar stool until he fell off it and carried on drinking… Lying in his own —- and vomit, he continued to drink ’til he passed out.”

“What did the tabloids estimate he’d had on the day he died? Something like 30 beers, eight or ten dark rums and half a bottle of whisky? In the end, he created such a weird energy around him that no one drinking with him cared.”

In the interview to promote Robin Hood, which opens the Cannes Film Festival next week and reunites him with Gladiator director Ridley Scott, Crowe talked about his music career.

The New Zealand-born actor said his music is popular in Canada. “”Billy Bragg, Sting, Elvis Costello – those guys say, ‘You’re a songwriter’. I got a song on a record in Canada that went gold. It might not be significant to somebody else but it works for me.”

[From The Telegraph]

That’s very interesting about Oliver Reed. I didn’t know Reed was such a notorious drunk, but Reed was of that Peter O’Toole-Richard Burton generation of liquor-soaked hellraisers. It’s kind of amazing that O’Toole is still around, honestly. It shocks me every time I think about it.

In another interview excerpt, Russell talks about his friendship with Michael Jackson, saying that Michael used to prank call him: “A gruff voice would say something was wrong, then this tiny little voice said, ‘Don’t worry. This is Michael.’” Russell also says that Michael invited him to Neverland Ranch several times, but Russell never got the chance to go. Russell also claims that he loves to prank call random people too – when he was working on L.A. Confidential, he would prank call the book’s author, James Ellroy, and leave messages like: “Woof-woof, hear the demon dog bark. He’s got a 12-inch wanger and it glows in the dark”. Russell is a very strange man.

Here’s the cover of GQ UK, courtesy of Ebay. Sorry I couldn’t get a better image!

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.