Some actors are considered to be legends in the business and others are considered to be well on their way there. Russell Crowe seems to be somewhere near former since he’s been in large number of great films that have showcased his talent and his ability to turn a character into someone that people will either love or hate, or love to hate. Throughout his career so far he’s made his fair share of mistakes and he’s also made his apologies to those he’s wronged. He’s been called a great guy by some and kind of a jerk by others, proving that it’s not always a cut and dried thing when it comes to labeling anyone, but a matter of perspective. As far as his professional and personal life goes he’s managed to keep the two separate enough that one doesn’t usually affect the other, but it does happen.
Here are a few other things about Russell that you might not have known.
10. He lost one of his front teeth when he was 10.
He lost it while playing Rugby and didn’t get it fixed until someone told him that it absolutely needed to be done for a film. Then he went and took care of it out of his own pocket. Depending on where he was and how much it cost it doesn’t seem like a cheap fix. But now you’d never know unless you read about it or someone told you.
9. Russell didn’t get a lead role until he was 25.
It took a while for Russell to really catch on as a lead actor since he wasn’t without talent but for a while he was without any real references when it came to acting. A lot of actors have to go through this in their early going, it’s a rite of passage that many people have to endure.
8. He dropped out of high school.
This seems to be a trend with some celebrities as it seems as though they don’t find what they’re looking for in school and have to go off and find it the hard way. An education might seem untenable at times and the allure of fame might be kind of strong, but with an education a lot of people have found that they can do quite a bit. Of course it swings the other way as well.
7. At one point he tried to be a rockabilly singer.
Apparently he had a huge pompadour and was attempting to sing about things he didn’t know. This worked for a little while it sounds like but eventually acting became a bigger lure and we all know how that’s turned out so far.
6. He turned down the role of Wolverine.
Russell figured the role was too much like his previous role in Gladiator (yeah, feel free to roll your eyes), and he also thought it was a cartoon, which he wasn’t into doing anyway. It almost seems like he didn’t even bother to look up just who Wolverine is or that it would be live action. Oh well.
5. Russell assaulted the producer of the British Film Awards.
This was due to the fact that part of his acceptance speech for Best Actor was edited out. He even went as far as to threaten the producer with never being able to work in Hollywood again. Later on he apologized, but this was kind of poor thinking on his part.
4. He gave up drinking when his wife became pregnant.
One thing you can say about him is that he’s supportive, though he also had to give drinking for about five months or more when he signed on for L.A. Confidential since the character he was playing was a firm believer in not drinking.
3. He turned down the role of Aragorn in Lord of the Rings.
He went on to do another movie instead of this one. A lot of people might feel that he turned down what would have been a great role that could have elevated him in status, but looking at the role with him in it and then as it turned out with Viggo Mortensen it really seems like Viggo was the better choice.
2. Playing the role of James J. Braddock was his favorite.
This was a pretty inspirational story since a lot of what went into the movie was real. There are facts however that were blown out of proportion, such as Max Baer being a truly ‘bad’ guy that liked hurting people. Apparently descendants of Baer wanted it on record that Max was not such a bad guy as the movie seems to make him out to be.
1. He’s been smoking since he was 10.
He’s quit before, and he even knows what’s in them thanks to one of his films, but he’s gone back to it regardless.
Whatever you want to say about the guy and however you want to view him, Russell is still a very skilled actor.
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