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The rich plow too!
24 February 2020, 09:30
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Russell Crowe once said about journalists: “What I would like most is to invite them all to my ranch and make them round up the cows for at least one day. Then in the evening they would fall into bed like dead men and lose all desire to engage in their stupid writings.” Then he did not yet suspect that there were reporters who were ready to herd cows and clean stables, just to learn first-hand at least something about his farm. Few people know about the rural life of the charismatic Gladiator. And he prefers not to talk too much about his estate in a remote corner of Australia. I literally collected Crowe’s “farmer’s” dossier bit by bit and studied all the available materials on this topic.
Genes of mysterious ancestors
His great-grandmother was a Maori - an aboriginal from New Zealand, where the future Hollywood star was born. Crowe once stated that his distant relatives were "a little bit" involved in cannibalism. But the actor’s great-grandfather is a descendant of Norwegian Vikings. Not a bad mixture, isn't it? All of Russell's ancestors had remarkable physical strength, respected men and slightly despised women. Therefore, the birth in 1964 of Alex and Jocelyn Crowe’s second boy, the strapping Russell, was greeted with approval by absolutely all relatives.
Although Alex and Jocelyn themselves did not resemble Conan the Barbarian and his girlfriend at all. A pub manager and a film cameraman's daughter were delivering groceries to film studio sets in Australia. Parents, of course, took their sons with them. From the age of four, Russell had seen enough of local celebrities and wanted to be popular, imagining future fame and numerous fans.
Incredible self-confidence, as well as an unusual sense of purpose for a child, did their job - he was noticed and invited to film the show “Spyforce”. But, despite an excellent career and prestigious awards, Crowe was drawn to the earth from childhood. Working on the farm became not just a hobby for him, but a lifestyle.
“Being there is like being on an island. You come to the ranch, and here, outside the gate, I’m no longer a brand, not a star, but a “Rassie” for my parents or an “asshole” for my brother,” he says.
The actor goes there to relax: after all, there you can wear old clothes, get your head dirty in the mud - and no one will care about it.
Interesting facts from the life of Russell Crowe
Today the famous actor Russell Crowe (51) celebrates his 51st birthday. Russell imparts to his heroes an extraordinary masculinity that he got from nature. For the star’s birthday, PEOPLETALK decided to recall the most interesting facts from the actor’s life.
Full name: Russell Ira Crowe.
Born on April 7, 1964 in Wellington (New Zealand).
The actor's parents worked as pub managers and caterers for film sets. Russell's grandfather Stan Wemys was a famous World War II actor.
Because of his parents' work, Russell had to travel a lot since childhood and visit film sets. “I spent time filming and filming TV shows from the age of 5 to 9. It simply fascinated me, and I always wanted to know what was going on behind the doors of the television set. But I always knew that sooner or later I would open these doors. Already at an early age I lost all fear of television and filming, because I knew how fantastic it all was.”
Already at the age of five, Crowe starred in one of the episodes of the Australian television series Spyforce, produced by his mother's godfather.
In addition to cinema, Russell had a great love for music and even planned to make a musical career. His first single, I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando, was released in 500 copies and was played several times on the radio.
To support himself, Russell had to work as a waiter and street actor in Sydney, while attending various film auditions.
Fame came to the actor after the film “Skins” (Romper Stomper) in 1992.
Russell Crowe is a big sports fan, especially rugby. He is even a co-owner of the Australian club South Sydney Rabbitohs.
In addition to rugby, Crowe has been interested in cricket, football and even boxing since childhood.
Russell Crowe is famous for his explosive and rude character. In 2005, the actor paid a large sum to a New York hotel concierge whom he hit with a telephone.
Despite the fact that the actor has to spend a lot of time in Hollywood due to filming, Russell always considers Australia his home. He has his own farm with livestock, as well as a 320-hectare ranch in New South Wales.
Critics noticed Crowe's talent after his role in the film “The Insider,” in which the actor played alongside the magnificent Al Pacino (74). Russell was nominated for an Oscar, but lost the prestigious award to Kevin Spacey (55). For this role, Russell Crowe had to gain as much as ten kilograms and dye his hair gray.
Crowe received his first Oscar in 2000 for his role in the historical film Gladiator, where he played the brave and strong commander Maximus. It was this role that brought him worldwide fame.
Filming for “Gladiator” began immediately after the film “The Insider,” during which the actor gained a fair amount of weight. Therefore, Crowe had to quickly get into shape. But according to Russell himself, it was not difficult for him.
Despite the difficult schedule, the actor finds the strength to do physical exercises between filming, delighting the entire film crew with his performance.
The role of the fearless Maximus brought the actor not only awards, but also injuries. During one of the training sessions, he dislocated his shoulder, which is why filming had to be interrupted for two months. Russell also broke several teeth and suffered a concussion.
The actor himself considers his best work to be his role in the film “Knockdown.”
Initially, the role of Wolverine in the X-Men film was not offered to Hugh Jackman (46), but to Russell Crowe, but the actor declined the offer.
Russell Crowe became the first older actor to play the legendary character Robin Hood. At that time he was 45 years old.
Crowe has his own personal star on the Walk of Fame, installed in 2010, which is located next to the star of the legendary Anthony Hopkins (77).
The actor has two sons with Australian singer Danielle Spencer (45): Charles Spencer-Crowe (12) and Tennyson Spencer-Crowe (9).
Russell Crowe is actively involved in charitable activities. He donates large sums to Australian schools.
"When it comes to the farm, I'm just a wuss"
So Crow once admitted to reporters, meaning that he simply could not live without his ranch. Receiving substantial fees, he could choose to live anywhere on the globe. But Crowe wanted to stay in Australia, and come to the USA and Europe only for filming. In 1996, when his parents began having financial problems, Russell decided to buy land in the Australian outback, 7 hours from Sydney, and most importantly, 7,275 miles from Hollywood.
Hidden somewhere in New South Wales is the small village of Nana Glen. There, in a green ravine, there are three cute ponds, they reflect the tall Australian sky, and Crowe’s 500 personal cows graze nearby... There is his home and the center of his personal Universe. The usual life on the farm is in full swing, and there are always a lot of people: workers, Russell’s personal trainer and cook, brother, parents, guests. Village kids often come here to play football. They are not at all embarrassed by their famous neighbor; for them he is just Uncle Ras, who actively helps the village school, but always tries to hide his good deeds.
Away from the bustle of his property, Russell Crowe does what he likes - breeds cows, kangaroos, horses, dogs, chickens. The actor himself describes his glorious farm as a large plot of land with residential buildings, buildings for cattle and spacious stables. He personally oversees the production of “nice beef with little fat and a lot of protein.” These signature Australian “marbled” steaks are known all over the world.
By the way, in one interview there is a mention that Crow himself also owns two meat processing plants. But it is possible that the products from his farm are sold not only in Australia, but also sent to the continents. By the way, the star advocates the humane keeping and slaughter of livestock. He is convinced that animals should not live in stress and fear of death. Thanks to the ideal conditions for raising livestock, the beef from the Crow farm has a very special taste - clean, rich, - the actor boasts. Is it really possible to become a vegetarian by giving up a juicy steak, which is tastier than anything in the world? Russell also loves his animals because they don't ask stupid questions.
Russell Crowe - a playboy with the face of a father of a family
Seven years ago, Sharon Stone brought him from Australia to Hollywood as an unknown exotic animal. Who could have imagined then that an unremarkable “kangaroo” in a bag would end up so welcome at the main “dream factory”?! Less than five years have passed since Russell Crowe became the main contender for all conceivable and inconceivable film awards, an actor whose income is equivalent to 15 million dollars per film. You can call him lucky. And he really is one of those who inadvertently falls into the suit. The king of fate and the eternal darling of fortune. This year, Russell Crowe, winner of a golden statuette for the high-budget peplum “Gladiator” and an Oscar nominee for the anti-nicotine drama “The Insider,” will host the main film ceremony on the planet for the first time and compete for the third time in a row for the highest acting award, now with the film benefit performance “A Beautiful Mind”. I know Russell Crowe. One - according to the newspapers - an unrestrained rude man, a crazy fellow, an eternal character in the yellow press. Another on-screen hero, one who fights in the arena with tigers, and who is truly his own, reliable person.
He was born on April 7, 1964 in godforsaken New Zealand, the homeland of amazing cows and no less amazing butter. At the age of four, his parents moved him to Australia. This country became the starting point of a stellar career and favorite place of residence. The choice of future profession for Crow was predetermined. The grandfather is a World War II film award winner, the mother and father are pub managers, and the cameraman’s daughter is a supplier of provisions to the film sets of Australian film studios. Since the age of 5, Russell has been in close proximity to movie cameras. “Filming” for him means almost the same as having breakfast. He doesn’t feel any boundary between what happens in reality and what happens on camera. Maybe that’s why, having matured, he doesn’t even think about “mastering a profession.” The super actor, one of the top ten celebrities on the planet, remains forever a kind of amateur actor with an incomplete secondary education.
He first appeared on the set as a six-year-old toddler. In the television series “Spy Force,” little Ras was cast in the role of one of 20 orphans who were saved from certain death by a brave Australian spy during World War II. The opus was directed by the mother's godfather. Thus, it turned out that Crowe Jr. was kind of a thieves.
Rusty, as his friends called him, never dreamed of becoming an actor. (Why dream when everything is already at arm's length?) He had more interesting things to do. For example, tweet poems and strum the guitar. Russell was 14 years old when he met Dean Hochran. Together they dreamed of a career as cool rock stars, and together they created the group “Roman Fun”. Crowe took the pompous pseudonym Russ le Rocque and began bawling right and left a ballad of his own composition: “I want to be Marlon Brando.” Who could have imagined that after some 10 - 15 years he would, in a certain sense, become one?!
If you want to be on screen, then play adult and independent men, best of all - real war heroes. That's what the snotty boy Russell Crowe thought and, quietly waiting for his finest hour, washed dishes in taverns and played bingo with the old people. The limit of his acting ambitions then was street performances in King's Cross in Sydney.
And then something happened that can only be called fate. Ras accidentally “hit the clip.” There was a casting for the television series “Neighbours”, the same one that became the ticket to world show business for many, many Australian stars: from Kylie Minogue to Nicole Kidman. In Neighbors, Crowe was given the role of Canny Larkin. After that, all that remains is to wait just a little bit. First, George Ogilvy, who offered Russell the lead role in “Crossroads” (1990), then Jeffrey Wright with “Skins” (1992). This is where real glory began. For his role as a neo-Nazi, Hendo Crowe received an Australian Film Institute award, recognition from the Australian Guild of Film Critics and... the love of the first Hollywood celestial woman in his career.
Sharon Stone arrived at the Sydney festival as a guest of honor. The whirlwind romance that began between her and Crowe first brought Russell to America and then left him without work. On the set of “The Quick and the Dead” - Stone’s producing debut, where Crowe and Leo DiCaprio and Gene Hackman were in company - the fatal Sharon had a huge quarrel with her little protégé from the Green Continent.
If in Australia he was the first, then in America he was the first from the end. After “The Quick and the Dead,” Russell, out of despair and complete lack of livelihood, was ready to even act in porn. According to one of the scenarios, to which Ras almost said his confident “yes,” a crowd of blacks was going to fuck him. Naturally, there was no talk of doubles in intimate scenes. But he was lucky, the curve took him out once again. True, to a couple of very mediocre paintings. (But everything is better than outright porn!) The most famous of them is the film “Virtuality” with absolutely no director Brett Leonard, who ruined a bunch of brilliant script ideas in one fell swoop, and Crowe’s unsuitable role as the brutal serial killer Sid 6.7. According to the contract, Ras had to flash his bare bottom in full view and recite his completely indigestible text, almost in tongue twister. As a reward for his torment, Denzel Washington turned out to be his partner (interestingly, Crowe will be competing with him for the golden statuette this year). As a bonus, there is a soundtrack that featured some of the Russell rock band's compositions.
Crowe managed to emerge from the dive into which his beauty Sharon sent him only in 1997. Then director Curtis Henson took him to his future Oscar-winning film “LA Confidential” for one of the main, but not very positive roles - the racist and abusive son of a bitch Bud White.
Crowe has never shied away from on-screen “bad guys.” In addition to being a neo-Nazi, a sadistic cyborg, and a racist brawler, he was a transvestite in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a homosexual plumber in “We’re All in This Together,” and a simpleton dishwasher in “Proof” (1992). With such a track record, he was simply destined to become a favorite of the ladies. The appearance of a modest university professor, discreet jackets, gray hair here and there, inappropriate for his age. Even about the film “Proof of Life,” where Crowe has perhaps the most macho and sexy role of his career, you can find the following summary on the Internet: “The birth of platonic feelings in two aging people in a difficult situation.”
Inconspicuous, unheroic in the traditional sense, how beloved he is! And that's putting it mildly. Crowe is spoiled by the attention of Hollywood's most luxurious film stars. His chosen ones include Courtney Love, Nicole Kidman, Peta Wilson, Winona Ryder. The vamp Sharon Stone once agreed to wait until her stubborn man Ras was blue in the face while he starred in the Australian project “We’re All in This,” which turned out to be an absolutely failure. Not long ago, another star followed her example - Jodie Foster. She, like Sharon, decided to postpone filming her directorial debut, Flora Plum, until the ex-gladiator healed his dislocated shoulder. Crowe healed his shoulder and, bypassing Jodie, smoothly moved to the set of A Beautiful Mind.
Russell's most scandalous office romance is with Meg Ryan, a lover of men and a great assistant in promoting her favorites to stardom. It was she who first secured Crowe’s role in “Proof of Life,” and then completely left her husband, a former drug addict, Denis Quaid, for him, after a Hollywood-record nine years of living together.
Everything happened on the second day. Poor Meg didn't even expect anything like this from herself. Ras sent her a million red roses to her room, some time later gave her a rare black Buick from the 60s, and then took her to meet her parents in Australia. However, less than nine months passed before the “sweet couple” ran away. Slick journalists formulated the reason for the breakup: Ras chose Meg over cattle. After these caustic jokes, Crowe vowed: “I will move to Los Angeles only on the condition that Australia goes under water, plague rages in Europe, and Africa is devastated by an invasion of Martians.”
The “City of Angels” did not forgive itself for neglect. Following the fame of a heartthrob and destroyer of honest Hollywood families, Crowe acquired the title of a savage, an awkward provincial, in a word, a crazy village simpleton who tries to counter any hint, often misunderstood by him, with outright rudeness.
Fortunately, he had somewhere to run from such attacks. Seven hours north-west of Sydney, Crowe has almost 300 hectares of land. Cows, horses, dogs, chickens – a real zoo mixed with farmland. Here he spends his days turning silage, putting up fences and delivering animals.
“Are you supposed to be a fake?” - the hero-hostage from “Proof of Life” asks Russell and receives the answer: “No, Peter, I’m real.” This is how they try to explain the “real” Crowe. Indeed, a real man, no matter what you look for. Not a white woman. He doesn’t care what to do: act in a movie, remove manure, or wave his fists. Brutal, specific. His image of a “bad boy” is mainly formed by the yellow (and not so yellow) press. After Skins and L.A. Confidential, it was simply necessary to unearth the traits of nasty characters in a real actor. Crowe, with his natural talent for infuriating others and his innate penchant for strong expressions, was the perfect fit. His antics are legendary. They talk about how, in his youth, he berated one of the producers from head to toe just because he advised him to go to the dentist and finally insert a front tooth knocked out in a fight. Having grown up, he did not abandon his habits. They say it doesn’t cost him anything to put a loaded pistol to the chest of a sluggish service staff or to interrupt an interview mid-sentence just because he suddenly became “bored.” And he didn’t care about all the contracts and agreements!
He has a creepy, difficult character. He loves to give orders and does not mind annoying people. But, on the other hand, Crowe belongs to that type of sensual, overly emotional men from whom women go crazy. These favorites never know exactly where the next moment will take them, and the only thing that can justify them is sincerity.
Crowe isn't lying or posturing when he admits, "I'm brutally honest." He will never rust behind him: he will tell everything as it is, to his face and not only. It is impossible to believe that he is planning something, being cunning and muddying the waters. He is one of those who lives with his heart. Lack of tact, inadequate response, endless excess. Crowe is a classic infantile maximalist boy. However, almost all sex symbols are like that. It's like a brand, a special talent needed to fit the role.
When Russell first appeared in Hollywood, people rushed to compare him with Mel Gibson, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Nick Nolte, James Dean, Mickey Rourke... It seems that then they listed almost the entire “A” list of actors. No one noticed that Crowe had quietly occupied a very special niche in the Hollywood iconostasis. In light of the latest code of political correctness and focus on family values, it is precisely this that has suddenly become hyper-relevant. And then everything is simple - a hot shower of nominations and prizes.
This is a paradox or an irony of fate, but it was the recidivist bachelor Crowe who turned out to be the face and flesh of the ideal American family man (it was he, and not the unreasonably doubling Cage in the comedy of the same name), that very father-hero who can caress like no one else, and, if necessary, he will not give offense. And the point here is not even a literal correspondence to the role. Crowe only had to babysit his offspring in A Beautiful Mind and confidently wear a wedding ring in A Beautiful Mind. The point is not in the family circumstances prescribed to his characters by the script, but in the sum of traits that the actor rewards his characters with, regardless of the specifics. This unsharp voice, sometimes slipping into muttering and cooing. The look of almost transparent greenish eyes, in which you suddenly read pain, tenderness, and determination. Thin long fingers of an intellectual. And these are the eternal circumstances of a strong and intelligent person, not pressed against the wall of his own free will. Crowe is a whole collection of roles of little super-professional people. His absolute hero always gets involved in a showdown and takes responsibility for others. In general, Chip and Dale rolled into one. Unremarkable until you look closely. It doesn’t sink into your memory until you feel the only thing that Crowe knows how to convey from the screen – a sense of reliability. He is one of those who, being on edge himself, will outwardly demonstrate calm, pat him on the head and wipe away his snot. By the way, this reliability allows him to play gray-haired professors in his early thirties. True, everything is not so simple here. Taking on the role of the crazy Nash in “A Beautiful Mind,” Crowe personally “dug a hole for himself.” His real boyfriend, his guarantor and hope, suddenly turned into an absolute fiction, as soon as he added the parameter of genius to the image. The talented scientist turned out to be a patient in a psychiatric clinic with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The ideal family man himself trampled on his feelings for his wife and almost became a murderous father, drowning his own child in the bathtub. Instead of the traditional modest hero-savior, Crowe played the hero-star for the first time - the same one who, in fact, is now himself. Eccentric, capricious, obsessed and insanely lonely, even despite a continuous chain of real and alleged romances.
Rural philanthropist
According to the actor, he would much rather sit on his farm in Australia, read a book there or talk with cows, rather than communicate with annoying paparazzi.
“I only feel normal when I come to the farm. As soon as I have free time, I immediately fly to my cows. That’s where my life is,” he once told The Herald Sun.
In addition to the fact that the actor is actively involved in his ranch, he has become a secret philanthropist of the village of Nana Glen. Once, Crow spent about $800 thousand on a local rural school. And the actor decided to take part in equipping the pool after a tragic incident - one of the schoolchildren drowned on a nearby beach in Coffs Harbor. So Russell decided that children should learn to swim in a safe environment. At the opening ceremony, he dived fully dressed into the water, thus signaling to the students.
This was a rare case when the actor admitted his philanthropy. As Laurie Wrenshall, one of the heads of Nana Glen, notes: “Many of the things that Russell cleans up in the village people simply do not know about, because he prefers to keep his good deeds private.”
Seven little-known facts about Russell Crowe:
1. The actor personally tries to deliver births to animals on his farm.
2. In the mid-1980s, Crowe was a member of the musical group Russ Le Roc, whose name was the same as his stage name. Crowe then formed a new rock band, Roman Antix. She joined the rock band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, which she still sings today.
3. In 2001, the FBI received information that the terrorist organization al-Qaeda was planning to kidnap Russell Crowe, after which he was heavily guarded for several years.
4. Russell Crowe is a big rugby fan. He is co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby Club, one of the oldest in Australia.
5. Secretly, Crow helps his village: he equipped a full-fledged sports and playground with a basketball court and a twenty-five-meter swimming pool for the local school, and helped with the organization of emergency medical services.
6. For the filming of one of the films in which Nicole Kidman starred, Crowe equipped additional stables on his farm at his own expense.
7. Especially for the film “Master of the Seas. At the End of the Earth" Crowe learned to play the violin.
Russell Crowe
April is full of birthdays for my favorite movie men. One of them, the incredible Russell Crowe, turns 48 today. A good reason for conversation (although, in all honesty, this man-and-steamboat does not need reasons).
That's the kind of guy he was. "Journalists keep calling me the 'new Mel Gibson.'
This has been going on for more than ten years. I’m already used to it, I even have a list of those who are “new” to me. Not bad, by the way: Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Bob Mitchum, Jack Thompson, Peter Finch” - he said this more than ten years ago. Today, it's a compliment for a young actor to be known as "the new Russell Crowe." Well, time will tell whether he will be able to create his own name. Russell Crowe did it. Today he is the only one. A rare case - I remember very well where and when I saw him for the first time. It was The Quick and the Dead (in my opinion, a wonderful and very stylish film - although terribly abused). Anyone who saw it probably remembers Cort’s spectacular appearance: head over heels through the saloon. It was love at first sight: the charismatic bandit-priest was shooting his eyes wide open (plus this biting music by Alan Silvestri...) “Wow,” I said to myself and wrote down the name in a book. Well, soon this name sounded from every outlet. Russell Ira Crowe was born on April 7, 1964
in Wellington (New Zealand) to Alex and Jocelyn (he has an older brother, Terry).
In the mid-80s he played in the group Russ Le Roq under the pseudonym, you won’t believe it, Russ Le Roq. Later he organized the rock band Roman Antix, which later turned into 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts (existed from 1991 to 2005; it didn’t sound like that, there were some nice compositions). At the age of 21, he went to enter the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, but never entered - as he later recalled, “he was advised not to waste time.” With TOFOG. Chicago 2003 He hung out on TV series, in 1990 he received his first role in the film “Crossroads” (he met Danielle Spencer on the set) and was awarded his first nomination - for the AFI Award, a national film award. The musical Bad boy Johnny, 1989 Crossroads Daniel Spencer The following year he received an AFI Award for Romper Stomper (translated as “Skinheads” or “Skins”), but what is much more important is that thanks to this film he was noticed, including overseas. In any case, Sharon Stone invited him to “The Quick and the Dead” (1995) precisely because she was incredibly impressed by the scumbag Hando (and I must say, there was something. “I love negative heroes - there is something very attractive in a person’s dedication to his cause "They have an ideology, albeit a distorted one. They are obsessed with an idea." Oh yes. This image is simply saturated with the energy of destructive obsession). And Russell set out to conquer Hollywood. Skins The path of an aspiring actor is never strewn with roses, but in the case of Crowe, one still gets the impression that Hollywood didn’t really resist - simply because it was exactly the kind of guy it desperately needed. A fighter without fear and reproach with fists and a tender heart, in whose eyes there is “more sadness than Cage and Pevtsov combined” - the ideal embodiment of such a hero and the actor’s most accurate hit on the character was Bud White from “L.A. Confidential” (and In general, this is a dream film; such a sniper cast in an ensemble film is almost unprecedented). And later, when on the set of Gladiator Crowe broke his knee, tore the tendons of both arms and knocked out a couple of shoulder joints, it became finally clear who in Hollywood was worth mass. He refused the doctors - drank Jack Daniels and set his joints himself. And then he entered the Colosseum arena with live tigers. LA confidential However, the fairy tale is soon told; a career is not made soon. Of course, he had to beat the thresholds of studios (in principle, he bypassed only Mel Gibson’s Icon) and starred in all sorts of garbage, but I must say that there are absolutely no shameful spots in his filmography - only “Virtuosity” seems to me a monstrous mess (this is also offensive because that Denzel Washington performed a duet with Crowe). And so the “pre-gladiator” period looks quite decent. Yes, there was no “No Way Back” (1995) and “Heaven is on Fire” (1997), but also the charming absurdist rom-com “Magic” (1995, with Bridget Fonda and magic at full blast)), the masterpiece “L.A. Angeles" (1997), the graceful elegy with the breaking of dishes "Brink of Breaking" (1997, with Salma Hayek) and the powerful "The Insider" (1999). Virtuosity Magic On the verge of breaking I can’t say for sure whether “The Insider” triggered some qualitative changes in Russell the actor or simply showed them, but this film seems to me to be the milestone after which Crowe became That Crowe. In addition, this role brought the first nominations for the Golden Globe and Oscar (Russell then lost, but, which is a consolation, to a worthy opponent - Kevin Spacey and “American Beauty”). For this role, he gained sixteen kilos in six weeks and transformed into a gray-haired fifty-year-old man with a doughy figure, a bald head, glasses and the wheezing breath of an asthmatic. (Now I look and think - well done make-up artists, they accurately depicted what he would be like at fifty dollars. Well, what he becomes if he relaxes too much)) And in 2000, “Gladiator” burst out (for which Crowe lost twenty kilograms in two months - “After that, everyone began to compare me with Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. But no diets. I lifted weights, ran in football...” Well, youth, good metabolism...)). There is no need to talk at length about Gladiator. Or rather, if we speak, it will take a long time, or it is better not to start at all. I think everyone knows this story about an unbending warrior with convictions, who, under the guise of revenge, administers justice, and at the same time sets the brains of those who need it and restores order in the empire. A lot of money, a lot of awards (including an Oscar; by the way - you had to try to look so ridiculous at the Oscars: a stupid haircut, a wild lapser, an order as an accessory...) and praises, the status of a first-level star - and off the charts, surpassing all imaginable limits the attention of the press and public. Sorry, I understand that the picture is too big, but I couldn’t reduce it, and I couldn’t insert it. One Hundred Favorite Film Images - It's Something With Ridley Scott on the Set It seems to me that these were Russell's personal copper pipes - the roof wasn't completely blown off, but the internal structures were slightly damaged. Fortunately, reason and healthy instincts prevailed, and Crowe found an excellent guide to help him stay on course. At that time, he positioned himself almost as a farmer, whose main occupation was herding cows, and he, they say, took off on raids in his free time from plowing. He bought a farm, put his brother on the farm, and hid there from time to time when it became completely unbearable. He really liked to lure gullible friends (and girls) to visit - for example, Meg Ryan instantly asked to return to civilization and generally realized that “he is an uncouth lout who loves cows more than her”) and frighten them with the delights of village life. Well, little by little the excitement died down and everything went as usual. Women in his biography... You know, just give it to journalists, but Ras himself has an invaluable quality for a man - quietness. It is generally accepted that in his youth he did not fool around with moral scruples, making full use of his charm and image of a brutal, taciturn savior from everything in the world. Whoever was credited - Peta Wilson, Naomi Watts, Sharon Stone, Salma Hayek, Winona Ryder... They tried to set her up with Nicole Kidman (but of course). They even said that Jodie Foster's eldest son was his. Jodie herself said that he was just fixing her roof (well, literally fixing the roof - with a hammer and nails. He came, saw the basins on the floor and started to patch it up). And Russell said that “she is a strong and wonderful woman and a great friend to look for” (he generally has a thing about “strong” women). So go figure it out. But the inappropriately loud resonance of one rather banal story somehow forced him to “reassess his values.” With Naomi Watts in time immemorial Golden Globe 2000 Sundance Festival, 2002 There is no romance here - business
With Jennifer Connelly, Berlin Film Festival 2002 (promotion of A Beautiful Mind) With Renee Zellweger, 2006 Premiere of A Good Year Following Gladiator, Proof of Life was released - a movie without special artistic merit, known primarily for the fact that the filming was marked by a sudden whirlwind romance between Crowe and Meg Ryan - the all-American sweetheart, “an honest wife, a virtuous mother” and generally a good girl.
It’s just a mystery to me: why was it necessary to diligently re-educate the womanizing rowdy drunk Dennis Quaid in order to leave him for the womanizing rowdy drunk Crowe? Proof of life In general, the relationship began and ended, but the scandal turned out to be such that Russell finally spat on the young ladies around Hollywood and returned to his trusted battle friend Danielle Spencer. On his 39th birthday, April 7, 2003, they got married, eventually gave birth to two boys (Charlie, 12/21/2003; Tennyson, 07/07/2006) and are happily together to this day (I suspect, largely because the fragile Dani's hedgehog paws look. Well, Ras went crazy, of course. I hope). The wedding seemed to be closed, but the press did cover it (I was stunned when I found it) Preparations. With Armani Invitation It would be a great idea to load the bride into a pickup truck. And by the way, everything is just like people’s, even the ribbons on the cars. I can’t see it - maybe there’s a doll there?)) Well, there will definitely be a multi-tiered cake) With Charlie With Tenney As an actor, back then, at the turn of the 2000s, he reached such a level of skill that the only real task for him today would be play BAD (although I believe in it, it will be necessary - it will play!)). Whether it was fate, luck or a wise choice, but over the past ten years he had not had a single job that was worth being ashamed of. However, by and large he does not have such people at all. What’s more, he doesn’t even have any truly passable ones - except (in my subjective opinion) Knockdown (2005) and A Good Year (2006). And even then the questions are not for him. And everything else - from “great” to “great”: “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), “Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth” (2003), “Train to Yuma” (2007), “Gangster” (2007), “ Body of Lies" (2008), "Robin Hood" (2010), "Three Days to Escape" (2010). Mind Games Mind Games With Paul Bettany. Mind Games With Sex. Master of the Seas Master of the Seas Train to Yuma Backstage "Robin Hood" "Three days to escape." Premiere in New York 11/09/2010 He has a good life now, it seems to me. Calm, measured - and never boring. He lives between Sydney and Los Angeles, stays close to his family, travels to events - and works in just the right amount: not until he drops, but not once every five years. Currently he is filming the musical “Les Miserables” (there is a completely crazy cast, Russell plays Inspector Javert, Jean Valjean plays Hugh Jackman). Next year, Broken City will be released with Mark Wahlberg and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He is also signed to the fantasy “The Winter's Tale”, “Man of Steel” by Zack Snyder (a new interpretation of the story about Superman) and “Noah”, directed by Darren Aronofsky (on this project Crowe will meet old friends: screenwriter John Logan wrote “Gladiator”, producer Arnon Milchan made L.A. Confidential). And then there will definitely be something else, and it will probably be great - as always. It simply cannot be any other way. Les Misérables Awards (not all) 1990
AFI Award (nomination) Best Actor in a Drama (Crossroads)
1991
AFI Award Best Supporting Actor (Proof)
1992
AFI Award Best Actor (Skins)
1993
Seattle International Film Festival Best Actor (Skins)
1998
Golden Satellite Awards Best Acting in a Drama (L.A. Confidential)
1999
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor (The Insider) National Board of Review, USA Best Actor (The Insider) 2000 BAFTA (nomination) Best Actor (The Insider) Golden Globe (nominated) Best Actor in a Drama (The Insider) Oscar (nomination) Best Actor (The Insider) Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor (The Insider) Hollywood Film Festival Actor of the Year National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA Best Actor (The Insider) Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor (The Insider)
2001
BAFTA (nomination) Best Actor (Gladiator) Golden Globe (nomination) Best Actor in a Drama (Gladiator) ) Oscar Best Actor (Gladiator) AFI AWARD Australian Film Institute Award, Creativity Award Blockbuster Entertainment Award Best Actor in the Action Genre (Gladiator) Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor (Gladiator) Empire Awards, UK Best Actor (Gladiator)
2002
BAFTA Best Actor (A Beautiful Mind) Golden Globe Best Actor - Drama (A Beautiful Mind) Oscar (nominated) Best Actor (A Beautiful Mind) Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Actor (A Beautiful Mind) Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor ("A Beautiful Mind") A Beautiful Mind")
2004
Golden Globe (nomination) Best Actor in a Drama (The Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth)
2005
AFI Award International Award for Best Actor (Knockdown)
2006
Golden Globe (Nomination) Best Actor in a Drama (Knockdown)
2009
Empire Awards, UK Actor of Our Time “For his contribution to cinema” On April 12, 2010, his personal star was unveiled on the Walk of Fame.
It became the 2404th in a row and is located opposite the Kodak Cinema at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood. Well, all sorts of different things
The Tonight Show, 2003 With Steve Irwin - the same crocodile hunter Bikerr!
Cannes 2010. Opening Ceremony Dinner in Sydney. Judging by the complexity of the face, we are talking about saving the world. Well, or choosing the color of the curtains in the living room) Confectionery shop. I would be confused too November 2007 Martha Stewart Cooking Show. Tormenting the turkey The turkey was good. Well-fed and complacent. Well, with such and such a battery of bottles... Flight. Time to enrich yourself spiritually “Why didn’t I juice?..” Rome, 2010. Colosseum. We all left here with Dani. February 2012. “Yes, dear, I understand: don’t take out the gear, don’t get off the bus.” With the boys on the set of “The Big Game.” “Your nose, dad, is cold...” - “Touch his ears...” Charlie goes to school. This moment must remain in history. Don't worry son, dad will take care of everything. Just figure out which way to hold the camera “Bros, there are such discounts!..” Ras and Dani. December 17, 2011 El mariachi (curly)) The Hobbit (you can sleep in the snow in winter) Life is good! Happy birthday, mister /president/ Crowe!
Cows VS women
“I’m lucky that I have places on Earth where I can find harmony and peace of mind,” Russell Crowe boasted to reporters at the premiere of the film “Noah.” The actor does not deny that cows are even more valuable to him than women and a career. If things go badly in Hollywood, he will not be lost without a movie, his parents are sure. And mom adds, “Don’t worry about Russell. He’s a little crazy for us.”
“Abnormal”, but this is in comparison with the pompous Hollywood playboys who don’t know which side to approach the horse and require doubles on the set. And Russell is a farm boy with big hands that are always covered in cuts and calluses. Naturally, the combination of a tough cowboy guy, an interesting actor and a talented director has always attracted an army of fans to Russell Crowe.
When he dated actress Meg Ryan (2001), she explained to reporters why they were together: “Who else in Hollywood can fix a leaking roof on their own?” This was enough for most of the ladies present to roll their eyes with envy and nod knowingly in response: “Man!”
Meg was the first woman to whom he wanted to show his mysterious island - a farm in the village of Nana Glen. It seemed to Russell that his dream was about to come true - to spend time away from the hustle and bustle. He will settle on the earth, in the wilderness, and together with his wife he will give birth to a bunch of children. While his girlfriend was lounging in bed, from dawn to noon he managed to do a lot of things: collecting fresh eggs, delivering a baby to a horse, weeding the beds.
But strange stories constantly happened to her on the farm: Meg either tripped over a chicken, broke her nails, or got stuck in the mud with her car. She sincerely did not understand why a popular film actor should kill his precious time among calves, cows, chickens and horses. At first she believed that his farm was a whim of a rich man, but soon she began to wonder: is it really possible to be so sincerely touched by newborn calves and a successful corn harvest? Meg ran to Hollywood for shopping, visited plastic surgeons, and prepared for the wedding. Russell watched in horror as their relationship changed in proportion to the changes in her facial features.
As a result, the star couple broke up. Ryan said that this “uncouth lout” loves cows more than her. And in general, such a sophisticated girl hates the smell of manure. Crow explained everything more correctly: “Meg needs her space. But I cannot live outside my home, outside my country, for a whole year. My home is the vast expanse of my ranch. I have to get up at dawn, wander near the trees, play with my dog. I can't live without it. So, as soon as I finish all my business, I return to Australia.”
Russell Crowe: I didn't get married to leave my girlfriend
Interviewing Russell Crowe is like walking into a tiger's cage. It is unknown what is on his mind. Everyone knows about Crowe's latest prank: frustrated by the lack of communication with his wife, he took a non-functioning telephone and smashed the hotel receptionist's head with it. Crowe's press agents persistently asked all journalists who spoke with him during the Venice Festival not to ask questions about the upcoming trial (on September 14, Russell returns to court again: the actor was accused of second-degree assault and illegal possession of a weapon; he has already paid the victim 100 one thousand dollars). In fact, this was not necessary: who would want to be in the place of that receptionist?
How did he imagine himself to be God?
Of course, Crowe is a great artist. The roles he takes on are something very few people can handle. But I'm afraid you can't call him a pleasant person. Judge for yourself: he was forty minutes late for the press conference for the film “Knockdown”, mimicked almost all the journalists who dared to ask him a question, and refused to speak into the microphone - in order to force those gathered to listen to his every word. To top it all off, the ex-gladiator under investigation imagined himself to be God. The only words Crowe spoke into the microphone were: “Hey, journalists, God is speaking to you! Listen here everyone! Stop lying to your readers. From now on, if you continue to lie, you will have problems with your hormonal system. Mark my words!"
Now imagine what it’s like to talk with such a rude and upstart in the presence of a whole brood of his agents. But, whether Crowe was tired of the press conference or preferred to lash out in public, the interview was relatively painless. No bruises or abrasions on my face.
— How do you spend your time in Venice?
— I wander through the streets, holding my wife Danielle’s hand. But I didn't ride the gondola. But on a boat - yes! Moreover, the captain himself invited my son Charlie to take the helm! He, of course, immediately jumped at this opportunity to steer. And then after the flight he became tired, and he fell asleep in my arms. He is only a year and 8 months old! So, as a result, I had to steer. Agree, a great start to a trip to Venice!
— Do you often separate from your family?
“I didn’t get married and have a child just to separate from them.” Traveling together is more pleasant than traveling alone. There is less worry and worry.
How he seduced director Howard
— Why were you so attracted to the figure of boxer James Braddock that you definitely wanted to play him?
— During the era of the Great Depression, a person loses all his savings, the whole life of his family goes downhill. Many would not have recovered from such blows of fate. But not Braddock! He became a big star, a world champion! The New York Times printed his portrait on the cover five times in 10 days! I absolutely loved this story. And I really wanted it to be turned into a film by director Ron Howard, with whom we shot A Beautiful Mind together. He did not agree immediately, only after 7 months!
— Didn’t you really want to work with you?
— Ronnie said: “I understand why you want to play in such a film. But I don’t understand why I should put it on.” Then I took him by storm. I knew that he agreed to direct the film “Backdraft” about the work of firefighters only because he was interested in filming a fire in fifty different ways. So I offered him the same approach to boxing. It worked: I achieved my goal!
— Do directors often refuse you?
- You see, I don’t sit in my own office, I don’t live in Hollywood. I have one house in Sydney, the other is 560 kilometers from Sydney. My life goes there. I'm not immersed in the film business. This is probably why not all directors want to work with me. Yes, I won’t get along with everyone.
How he was hit on the head
— When you play a real person, do you feel more responsibility?
- Of course, to play such roles, you need to seriously prepare. But if you offer me a good script, I will be ready to shoot the next morning! It is only later that I begin to sit and wonder what and how, gradually drawing the character of my future hero in my imagination. Well, train until you sweat so that you, as a viewer, believe that there is a real boxer on the screen. After all, I don’t keep myself in such shape!
— Do you like boxing as a sport?
“As a child, I was obsessed with Muhammad Ali. But fundamentally, I think boxing is a pretty stupid sport. There are two guys in the ring - both are wearing short funny pants and gloves to knock each other's brains out. Stupid! But only very brave guys can decide on such stupidity. In addition to technical fighting skills, boxing also requires enormous concentration. I don't know if you were hit on the head. But if you’ve been hit, then you probably know that it’s difficult not only to stay on your feet after a hit, but also not to lose focus. Understand which corner of the ring you are in!
What I don’t like about boxing is the trainers and entrepreneurs who force young people from poor families to fight for money. They are ruining the health of these guys by profiting from them. This is terrible and disgusting.
How he finally stopped being a “weirdo”
— Gladiator director Ridley Scott was the only filmmaker you invited to the wedding.
— Yes, I am proud of my friendship with Ridley, whom I consider one of the best director-authors who has ever walked on our planet. I also called Ron Howard, but he was on set.
— Who do you play in Scott’s new film “A Good Year”?
- An English banker, a complete “eccentric”, who inherits a wine estate in Provence. He was raised by his uncle, thanks to whom he knows the difference between bad and good red wine, a bad and high-quality cigar, and understands the meaning of a good blue suit in a man’s life. Everything put into him by his uncle lives on. And all this will come to life when he returns to Provence, to his roots...
— Somehow this doesn’t look very much like Gladiator.
- This is exactly what I like! To make a low-budget comedy with Ridley Scott in France, when everyone is expecting another bloody blockbuster with a budget of 150 million dollars! The main idea of this picture is that people do not die as long as we keep the memory of them in our hearts. This idea is close to me. And I agree to act only in those films that touch my heart. And I really want them to touch your heart too. This, of course, is not easy. Film critics probably feel chills only when the air conditioning in the cinema is turned on at full power.
PRIVATE BUSSINESS
Russell CROW was born in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, on April 7, 1964. He lived two thirds of his life in Australia. From childhood he acted in films as an extra. His first acting success was the role of a fascist young man in the Australian film Romper Stomper. After seeing the film, Sharon Stone invited Crowe to become her partner in “The Quick and the Dead,” which was the first step in his brilliant acting career, crowned with an Oscar. Dated actress Meg Ryan. He is now married to singer Danielle Spencer.
5 Best Russell Crowe Films:
“LA Confidential” “The Insider” “Gladiator” “A Beautiful Mind” “Master of the Seas”
Australian Kurkul
For a long time the Crow women did not set foot on his precious farm. The future wife, singer and actress Danielle Spencer, passed the test of the hardships of agriculture quite successfully. They stayed with Russell in Australia for several days. We walked, talked, and didn’t even understand how we started making joint plans for the future. The actor proudly told the girl that he had already “practised” fatherhood: he interrupted filming and regularly flew from any country to every calving, farrowing and lambing, personally caring for newborn babies.
It’s hard to count how many chicks, foals and calves he helped into the world, all for the sake of becoming a good dad. Needless to say, Danielle immediately fell head over heels in love with him? She shared with her friends how sexy her fiancé looked on his farm, soiled with soil from the garden beds. There he, among the entire male population of the farm, is rightfully the dominant alpha male.
The topic of the Crow ranch became increasingly interesting to journalists. Especially after Danielle and Russell’s wedding ceremony took place there, in distant Australia, in a chapel that was specially built for this purpose right on the farm. The wedding cortege consisted of his rocker friends, who rode up on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. But they were almost late for the start of the ceremony, because on the way the cortege was delayed by... a neighbor's goat! The horned bully was very outraged by the turmoil unusual for the village, so he boldly attacked the jeep with the groom. “Even on Sundays, Crowe works on his estate,” the famous TV presenter Oprah Winfrey touchingly said in her show. Who, besides him, will take care of a calf that is left without a mother or a dog whose paw was accidentally broken by a bull? Although Russell prefers to remain silent about his life as an Australian Kurkul in a few interviews.
“I looked like a fucking Teletubby”: Russell Crowe on Gladiator, Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix
What Maximus Decius Meridius says about the cult peplum, which turned 20 years old.
On May 1, Ridley Scott's historical film Gladiator will turn 20 years old. The film broke box office records, revived the audience's love for large-scale peplums and received 5 Oscars, one of which went to Russell Crowe. In honor of the anniversary, Empire magazine spoke with the leading actor about the grueling filming, problems with the script and the difficult relationship between the filmmakers. We briefly retell what new we learned from the conversation.
"Thumbs Down"
Producer Walter Parkes offered Ridley Scott "Gladiator" by showing him Jean-Leon Gérôme's painting Pollice verso (Latin for "Thumbs Down"). The director decided to make a movie at any cost. It didn't take long to ask Russell Crowe either. The producers admitted to the actor: “We don’t want you to read the script, we want you to light up from a single sentence: “184 AD.” You are a Roman general, and the director is Ridley Scott."
Raw script
It is not surprising that Crowe did not want to show the script - the text did not satisfy anyone and was significantly revised after Ridley Scott joined the project. The director changed it right during the filming process. Scott was angry that he had to discuss decisions with an entire committee of producers, and told the actor: “If we both agree on something, then to hell with everyone else.” As a result, the tandem cut the script down to 21 pages and figured out the story as production progressed.
Name change
Initially, the main character was named Narcissus. “What are you even talking about? This name is associated with narcissism. No one will care about a hero named Narcissus,” Crowe argued. The actor gave each of the producers a collection of aphoristic thoughts by Marcus Aurelius, “To Yourself,” since none of them knew that the Roman emperor was a philosopher. Crowe still has a quote from it hanging on his office wall: “Nothing happens to anyone that you can’t bear.”
Death of a Gladiator
In the original script, Maximus did not die. Halfway through filming, Scott approached Crowe and said, “Look, the way things are going, I don’t see how you’re going to survive. This character only cares about revenge for his wife and son. What should he do after he takes revenge?” Crowe thought and agreed with the director. “Shouldn’t he open a pizzeria in front of the Colosseum?”
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Reed, Harris, Hemmings and Jacoby
Ridley Scott called Oliver Reed (Proximo), Richard Harris (Marcus Aurelius), David Hemmings (Cassius) and Peter O'Toole "the four horsemen of the Apocalypse". O'Toole was offered the role of Senator Gracchus, but he agreed to filming only if it took place during the school holidays. Derek Jacobi eventually took his place.
Conflict
Crowe became friends with Harris and spoke with him every week until the actor's death in 2002. But his relationship with Oliver Reed did not work out. According to Crowe, Reed disliked him from the very first reading together. During filming, the 61-year-old actor died of a heart attack after drinking a dozen shots of rum, several glasses of cognac, half a bottle of whiskey and eight bottles of German lager in a Maltese bar. Scott completed Reed's scenes with CGI and dedicated the film to the actor.
Maximus and Commodus
Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix see each other quite rarely, but when they meet, they always talk and drink for a long time, “not noticing the world around them.” Crowe believes that Phoenix should have won an Oscar not only for the role of Commodus (he received a nomination - KR), but also for two or three other works.
Snot
Originally, in the scene where Maximus finds his family murdered, he was supposed to simply fall to his knees in front of the crucifix. Crowe insisted that the hero must touch his wife’s body, to which Scott replied: “I understand everything, but I only have a pair of rubber legs.” Crow agreed to the dummy. In the final version, Maximus, sobbing, kisses the charred feet of his wife. First, Crowe performed the scene in “ultra-snot mode,” covering his face, hands, and clothes with tears. After filming the take, Scott praised the actor for his drama, but asked him to “turn down the snot” a little.
"My name is Maximus Decius Meridius..."
In the scene where Crowe, taking off his gladiator helmet, delivers the famous monologue "My name is Maximus Decius Meridius...", his hair constantly stood on end due to static electricity. “I tried to take off the helmet quickly, but even if it cracked, two hairs always stuck out like a fucking Teletubby.” The problem was solved by capturing Crowe in extreme close-up.
Incomplete victory
The success of Gladiator and the Oscar victory radically changed Crowe's life. However, the actor still does not understand why the Academy did not award the film for directing (the statuette went to Steven Soderbergh for “Traffic” - KR): “How the hell could they award me and the producers, but not award Ridley?” It was the director's confidence that pushed Russell through the grueling filming of the risky project. “We had a huge responsibility and we were on the verge of failure.”
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Gladiator Russell Crowe Ridley Scott Joaquin Phoenix
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Movie Ranch
Let’s not delve into the reasons why Crowe’s marriage didn’t work out, especially since this is a sore subject for him. Crowe divorced in 2012, despite 9 years of marriage and two sons. This means that the only thing that remains stable for him is his love for his farm. The actor, hailed as one of the most attractive men of our time, made it clear in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that he doesn't care what he looks like. That he does not intend to monitor his image, and in general the lifestyle of the “stars” does not suit him, and he is not going to follow it. And he plunged headlong into taking care of his ranch, which even became a training ground for filming and training.
So, before the film “Robin Hood” (2010), Crowe, being an experienced rider, still trained hard to be in great shape. For about three months he did physical training in the vicinity of his farm, so that he could then hunt barefoot in the forest. There he learned to shoot well with a bow, which is considered a rather difficult weapon.
And in 2014, he tried his hand at directing for the first time - he made the film “The Water Seeker.” He decided to play the main role - the Australian farmer Connor - himself. The Searcher was partially filmed in Turkey. Some episodes were filmed in Australia. In the story, an Australian farmer, who is famous for his instinct - he knows how and where to dig wells, went to Istanbul. There he wants to find his sons who disappeared during the First World War. A young beautiful Turkish woman, who, by the way, is played by Ukrainian Olga Kurylenko, strikes him in the very heart.
According to the actress, she also spent some time in a training camp, which Russell again organized on the territory of his farm. There, the cast and crew rode horses, shot arrows, and practiced various sports.
This is a real men's camp, fully equipped for training, members of the film crew admit. Even Crowe’s personal horse, Honey, took part in the filming; you can see her in the episodes filmed in Australia.
Gossip Cop calendar: Russell Crowe's double celebration
On April 7, 1964, in Wellington, New Zealand, Jocelyn and John Crowe had a second son, who was named Russell. Russell's dad managed a hotel, and his relatives were also involved in cinema. For example, his grandfather was involved in cinema. Russell himself also got into this business for a reason. He starred in an episode of the TV series Spyforce, produced by his mother's godfather. The boy was only five years old at the time. By the way, at that time the family already lived in Australia. When Russell was four, his parents moved to Sydney. Russell attended Sydney Boys' High School, but did not graduate. When he was 14, his family (himself, mom, dad and brother Terry) returned to New Zealand, where the guy continued his studies. True, this ceased to be important for him already at the age of 16 - it was then that he realized that he wanted to become an actor and directed all his efforts towards making his dream come true. But this was not the only reason that the young man left school - he wanted to help his family financially. Russell's first acquaintance with the stage and fame came not as an actor, but as a musician. He had his own group, Russ Le Roc (this is the pseudonym of Crow himself). This, by the way, is not the only team that Russell organized. He also created the group Roman Antix, which later almost entirely became part of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts. In the early 1990s, Crowe finally became actively involved in his acting career. At the age of 21, Russell came to Australia in the hope of entering the National Institute of Dramatic Art. However, he was dissuaded, and Russell himself decided that three years at the institute was a waste of time. For some time Crowe played in the TV series Neighbors, and in 1990 he made his debut in big cinema, starring in the films Blood Oath and Crossroads. Later, Crowe also appeared in TV series - for example, he played in “Police Rescue Squad” and “Brides of Christ.” However, he himself preferred big cinema. Of course, at first Russell played in Australian films. In 1991, he starred in the drama “Proof” (Russell’s role in this film was even noted by the Australian Film Institute), and in 1992, in the film “The Expert” with Anthony Hopkins. In the same 1992, the actor played a role in the already cult film “Skins” (Romper Stomper). It was she who brought him truly widespread fame.
"Proof"
"Skins"
1993 brought Crowe roles in four films, including the Canadian war drama Moments of Love. In 1994, the young actor played in the entertaining film “What Are We Worth in Life” - about the relationship between a father and his gay son. They have different approaches to reality, but still they understand each other.
"What are we worth in life"
In 1995, Russell finally made his debut in the United States - in the famous film “The Quick and the Dead.” His popularity began to grow rapidly. In the same year, two more premieres awaited him - the films “Virtuosity” and “Magic”.
"The Quick and the Dead"
"Virtuosity"
"Magic"
In 1997, Crowe could be seen in the Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential and the drama Breaking Point, as well as the Australian action film Heaven's Burning.
"LA Confidential"
"On the Verge of Breaking"
1999 raised today's birthday boy to the rank of stars of the first magnitude. It was that year that he starred in Michael Mann's legendary film The Insider, for which he received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. By the way, in the same year he also starred in a “lighter” film – the film “The Secret of Alaska”.
"Insider"
"Mystery of Alaska"
But, of course, little can compare to Russell's success in 2000. The actor played the Roman hero for Ridley Scott's Gladiator. It is noteworthy that before “The Insider,” Crowe had to gain significant weight, and before “Gladiator” he lost a lot of weight. In order to get in shape, Russell, in his own words, did not do anything special - he simply worked on his farm in Australia. Do all Australian farmers really look like this?
Crowe's efforts (of course, not only physical, but also spiritual - he did an excellent job with the role) were rewarded with an Oscar award and a Golden Globe nomination.
"Gladiator"
By the way, in the same 2000, Russell starred in another film, “Proof of Life.” But they talked less about it than about Gladiator. But also a lot - because of Russell’s affair with his partner in the film, Meg Ryan, who left the family for Crowe.
"Proof of Life"
In 2001, Crowe did not let the audience forget about himself. Literally the day after the Oscar ceremony, where he was awarded for “Gladiator,” Russell began filming a new project, Ron Howard’s film “A Beautiful Mind.” He was entrusted with the main role - the brilliant mathematician John Nash. For it, he was again nominated for many major awards and received Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.
"Mind games"
Russell's next film after A Beautiful Mind was Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth. Despite the scale of the project, its box office receipts were not that great. But the role brought Crowe another Golden Globe nomination.
"Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth"
Russell doesn't "get excited" about multiple projects - he currently stars in about one film a year. But what pictures these are! In 2005, he played Ron Howard in Knockdown - this time the director gave the actor the opportunity to embody the image of boxer Jim Braddock. In 2006, Russell got the main role in Ridley Scott's A Good Year. In 2007 - in James Mangold's western Train to Yuma, as well as the crime drama Gangster.
"Knockdown"
"Good year"
"Train to Yuma"
"Gangster"
In 2008, Crowe starred in only one film - but with Ridley Scott (we are talking about “Body of Lies”). In 2009 and 2010, two new films were added to Russell’s filmography - the films “Tenderness” and “The Great Game”, as well as “Three Days to Escape” and “Robin Hood”. The latter, by the way, was also directed by Ridley Scott. Both viewers and critics expected a lot from the film, but it did not live up to the hopes placed on it.
"Body of Lies"
"Tenderness"
"Big game"
"Three days to escape"
"Robin Hood"
This year, a film by the famous musician RZA, leader of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, is due to be released - this is his debut film as a director. His tracks are known to many from the films “Kill Bill”, “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” and others.
The events of the film “The Man with the Iron Fist” take place in ancient China. In the story, a dark-skinned blacksmith happily supplies weapons to everyone who can pay him. He helps residents of the surrounding area defend their settlements from other clans... We hope we will find out what role Russell Crowe plays in this story by the end of the year. The film is in post-production, but the premiere date has not yet been announced. By the way, another reason to watch this film is that Eli Roth helped with the script. By the way, today Crow has another holiday - his wedding anniversary. On April 7, 2003, he married Danielle Spencer. The couple has two children. So congratulations to Russell and his entire family!
Danielle Spencer and Russell Crowe
