Russell Crowe says Gladiator script was "so bad", that he wasn't given one initially

Released in 2000, Gladiator is an epic historical drama film helmed by Ridley Scott. It stars Russell Crowe in his Academy Award-winning role as Maximus Decimus Meridius. The movie also features Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Oliver Reed, Ralf Möller, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, and John Shrapnel. Now Russell Crowe revealed that Gladiator, which grabbed several accolades, had a bad script initially. 

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Russell Crowe says Gladiator had a bad script

In a recent appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Russel Crowe talked about Gladiator. He said that the movie was a unique experience for him because the script that the makers had was “so bad, it was just so bad”. The actor recalled that the producer did not know Crowe has been able to get a copy of the script, even though the producer did not send it to him. The producer said to Crowe, that he does not want to send him the document which they had, because the actor would not respond to it.

Russell Crowe added that he was convinced to star in Gladiator by director Ridley Scott and his visualization of the movie in his head. He mentioned that Scott was “so prepared” to make the film. The Noah star said that the filmmaker showed him visual images and the mathematics of how he would not actually build an entire Colosseum, yet still shoot the Colosseum scenes perfectly. Crowe stated that the actor and director “just ed” with each other at their first meeting.

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In an earlier interview with a daily, Russel Crowe said that when he read the script, he thought it was not a movie. But the producer explained to him that the film is set in the 184 A.D. and he is playing a Roman general and will be directed by Ridley Scott. The actor mentioned that it was enough for him to have a discussion with Scott.

One of the writers of Gladiator, David Franzoni talked about the film’s script with a news portal. He said that the team and writers would spend some relax time together and exchange notes and ideas. Franzoni mentioned that then, he would go back and writer at three or four in the morning and he would hand the pages to Ridley Scott. 

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Gladiator won multiple awards, including five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor for Russell Crowe, Best Costume Design, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, from 12 nominations at the 73rd Academy Awards. The movie was a success at the box office. A sequel is said to be in development.