Russell Crowe Disliked Gladiator More Than You Might Imagine

Russell Crowe almost walked away from “Gladiator,” but found a savior in the film’s director. He had extensive conversations with Ridley Scott about the storyline, and Scott was determined to address Crowe’s concerns. “He said to me at some point in time, ‘We’re not committing anything to camera that you don’t believe in, 100 percent,'” Crowe told Vanity Fair.

Crowe also revealed that when they began filming, he and Scott only felt comfortable with about 21 pages of the screenplay. “A script is usually between 103 or 104, 110 pages, something like that, so we had a long way to go, and we basically used up those pages in the first section of the movie,” Crowe explained. “By the time we got to our second location, which was Morocco, we were sort of catching up.”

After the success of “Gladiator,” the collaboration between Scott and Crowe continued. They went on to work together on several other films, including “American Gangster,” “Body of Lies,” “Robin Hood,” and more. Over time, Crowe seems to have grown more appreciative of his initial experience with Scott on “Gladiator.” He has shared fond memories from the film and has even expressed a bit of envy that he isn’t part of the upcoming sequel.

For fans who love Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s historical epic and are eager for more, the first trailer for “Gladiator 2” is out. In this sequel, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal take on the lead roles and engage in epic battles to the death.

Source: Vanity Fair