Russell Crowe, «I was about to give up “Gladiator”»- Corriere.it

“Gladiator” without Russell Crowe? Unthinkable. Yet during the filming of Ridley Scott’s 2000 film there was more than one moment on the set when it came close to disaster. “I was sure of my abilities as a protagonist. What I wasn’t sure about was that it was the right film,” revealed the 59-year-old New Zealand star in a video interview with US Vanity Fair. “At the heart of what we were doing was a great idea, but the script was trash. Absolute rubbish. And she had all these weird sequences. One of these concerned the chariots. I thought a couple of times: “Maybe the thing would be to get on a plane and get out of here”».

The “continuous conversations” Crowe had with the director contributed to the decision of the actor to stay. «Gladiator» ended up being a blockbusters at the box office, and now
Scott is preparing to direct a sequel

highly anticipated, starring the star of “Normal People” and nominated for an Oscar Paul Mescal. “I feel a little jealous – confessed Crowe in the interview referring to the fact that the sequel will be without him -, it was an experience that it changed my life
, Really. It changed the way people look at me. I wish every young actor could have something like a “Gladiator” in his career. We shot that movie in 1999, and I bet somewhere in the world they’re showing it in prime time right now.”