With Gladiator sequel’s top casting all wrapped up, audiences look towards November 22, 2024, for the big reveal. However, Gladiator casting attracted less publicity two decades ago than its sequel. Even its lead actor, Russell Crowe, had a hard time getting convinced by the script presented.
While several actors turned down offered roles, there were others who willingly pitched for a spot. As with any big-budget film, the studio and producers take time to find the best actors for each top role. Here are the actors who wanted a role in Gladiator but unluckily didn’t get it.
Jude Law
When Jude Law heard Ridley Scott was developing an epic historical drama based on the Roman Empire, he wanted to be part of the project. However, Law was only interested in playing the role of Commodus. Unluckily for Law, Scott already had an actor in mind to play the supporting role. At the time of filming, Law was 27 years old. However, Scott was determined to cast a younger actor and settled for the 25-year-old Joaquin Phoenix.
Although a young actor, Phoenix had received critical acclaim for his supporting role as Jimmy Emmett in Gus Van Sant‘s satirical black comedy, To Die For (1995). On the other hand, Jude Law (although he had starred in more films in the 90s) had no substantive success in his 90s films before pitching for the role. For reasons best known to Scott, he wasn’t going to gamble with the main supporting role of a $100 million film.
Jennifer Lopez
Unarguably one of the biggest names to have successfully transitioned from music to film. It was reported that Lopez’s team had helped to lobby for the musician/actress to play the role of Lucilla in Gladiator. However, the role ultimately went to Connie Nielsen. While it wasn’t a factor in casting Nielsen, Nielsen’s had a wealth of Roman history. She was often consulted for historical accuracy on set.
Although Lopez had starred in successful movies in the 90s, she probably wasn’t considered for the role for one simple reason. Lucilla’s role, although supporting, was one that needed to stay in the background. Jennifer Lopez‘s fame could easily have overshadowed other characters. Nielsen, known for her beauty and performance delivery, played Christabella Andreoli in 1997 The Devil’s Advocate.
Christopher Plummer
Russell Crowe was approached to play Gladiator‘s Maximus while filming Michael Mann‘s The Insider (1999). This made Crowe one of the first actors to be cast in the movie. As such, when Crowe learned the studio was casting for the character Marcus Aurelius, he quickly suggested that his The Insider co-star Christopher Plummer join the Gladiator cast. Besides being a close friend, Crowe knew Plummer had experience with Roman Empire films, having played Commodus in 1964, The Fall of the Roman Empire. However, the role of Marcus Aurelius ultimately went to Richard Harris. Marcus Aurelius appeared in a minor role and scenes at the beginning of the movie.
Lou Ferrigno
Lou Ferrigno is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. Ferrigno was initially a part of the Gladiator cast, set to play Tigris of Gaul. In Gladiator, Tigris of Gaul was said to have been the only undefeated gladiator who had retired. However, to kill Maximus, Commodus brought him out of retirement and arranged to have tigers in the arena. Maximus’ fight with Tigris of Gaul is one of the movie’s iconic gladiator fight moments.
Although Ferrigno was listed for the part, he was later replaced by Sven-Ole Thorsen. On hearing of a big-budget movie that needed a man with his physical appearance, Thorsen relentlessly lobbied hard for the role. Although it was a minor role in the movie, it became a reference point for audiences with the arena battles. It was a big win for Thorsen.
He also got to play another role, although uncredited for it. During the scene of his fight with Maximus, Thorsen doubled as one of the spectators. To effectively use CGI to create the 35,000 arena spectators, 2,000 live actors were placed in the makeshift Colosseum. These actors were instructed to perform different cheering/booing gestures, with a motion-capture camera and tools shot at different angles to make it more believable. While it’s impossible to find Sven-Ole Thorsen in the crowd, it’s comforting knowing he helped make Gladiator‘s arena spectators look real.
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