This year marks the 20th anniversary of Gladiator, a movie that grossed almost a billion dollars at the box office and scored five Oscars.
Not bad considering its star, Russell Crowe, who played sandal-clad muscleman Maximus Decimus Meridius, moodily proclaimed during filming that it would be a dud – and it wasn’t even because he had to lose almost 20kg within a few months to play the ripped Roman warrior.
Sources from the set say the actor, now 56, feared the constantly changing script would put a pin on his promising career, which explains why four weeks before filming was due to start, a foul-tempered Russell was still storming out of table reads.
This story is from the June 8, 2020 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
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This story is from the June 8, 2020 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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