Russell Crowe Is Not Happy About Gladiator 2
Russell Crowe jokiningly suggested he should be paid for all the Gladiator 2 questions he's asked, despite not being invovled in the film.
Russell Crowe is tired of getting questions about Gladiator 2, a film he is not even in. According to Variety, the star of the original Gladiator let loose with that particular sentiment and many others to the delight of audiences at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic. “They should be f—ing paying me,” he added, for the number of questions he gets about the forthcoming movie.
Russell Crowe took the opportunity to remind people that there was no way he could be in Gladiator 2 because his character died in the first film. In that sense, he didn’t seem at all bothered not to be in the sequel to his biggest movie. But he did admit to “a certain tinge of jealousy” at the reminder of his younger years and what the previous film meant for him.
Claiming complete ignorance about Gladiator 2, Russell Crowe said he had no knowledge of the cast or the plot. However, he said that for Ridley Scott to decide to make a sequel two decades after the original film, “he must have had very strong reasons.” The actor also said he fully expects the film to be “spectacular” and can’t imagine it being otherwise.
Russell Crowe’s mention of Gladiator 2 came amid several appearances at the fest, where he was given an award for outstanding contribution to world cinema and performed at the opening ceremony with his band Indoor Garden Party. The star reportedly regaled the crowd with a number of expletive-laden and hilarious stories, which included a harrowing encounter with an “aroused” tarantula while filming Rough Magic.
Of course, there was much more for Russell Crowe to talk about than Gladiator 2, including the Julius Avery film The Pope’s Exorcist, in which he also starred. Discussing the Vatican conspiracy that unravels in the film, he also mentioned the unsolved case of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, stating that he understood the pope had reopened the investigation. Adding that this was not necessarily connected to the film, he affirmed that the pope was right in doing so.
In addition to confirming that he is definitely not involved with Gladiator 2, Russell Crowe also introduced another film in which he starred, Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He confirmed that the director held back on releasing the film because of competition with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Though the Weir film began production first, he recounted, Pirates came out first, which he felt made it difficult for audiences to take Master and Commander seriously.
Finally, Russell Crowe talked about the prospect of turning 60 next year and his future. He said he would take Ridley Scott, who is making Gladiator 2 20 years later, as his “role model,” inspired by the director’s ability to make new discoveries in his work. “Or,” he mused, “I will just stop and you will never hear from me again. I haven’t decided what it’s going to be. These are two very valid choices.”
But Russell Crowe isn’t stopping just yet, Gladiator 2 aside. He’ll next be seen in The Georgetown Project and Kraven the Hunter. Later, he will be playing Hermann Göring in Nuremberg. And hopefully, he’ll still be sharing fun stories, music, and insights at other festivals in the future.
