Actor Russell Crowe Reveals Why He Almost Quit The Movie, 'Gladiator'

Actor Russell Crowe shared his thoughts on the first script for his 2000 blockbuster epic, "Gladiator," saying it was "absolute rubbish."

The "American Gangster" actor said that the script had a "great concept" but questioned the viability of some scenes with modern audiences, pointing out that he almost quit the role.

Crowe expressed "jealousy" about the sequel, which is reportedly in the works and will star Paul Mescal. The New Zealand-born actor will not be reprising his role on the set but expressed his support for Mescal.

Read on for more details.

Crowe, 59, sat down for Vanity Fair's career breakdown YouTube series to discuss various topics, including his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 epic historical film "Gladiator."

He claimed that the first script he saw for the movie, directed by Ridley Scott, was "absolute rubbish" and that he considered leaving the project at some point.

"I was confident about my abilities as a leading man. What I wasn't confident about with 'Gladiator' was the world that was surrounding me," he said, per Insider. "At the core of what we were doing was a great concept, but the script was rubbish. And it had all these sorts of strange sequences."

The movie follows the life of Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a loyal general who is betrayed and sold into slavery by the new emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Maximus rises as a gladiator and seeks revenge against Commodus while fighting for his freedom and the glory of Rome.

The "Les Miserables" star divulged to Vanity Fair that his continued conversations with the director, Scott, stopped him from leaving the project.

Crowe then narrated a scene where the gladiators would ride chariots with signage promoting olive oil and other products but insinuated that he wasn't comfortable with it.

"That's all true, but it's just not going to ring right to a modern audience," he said. "They're going to go, 'What the f*ck is all this?' The energy around what we were doing was very fractured. I did think a couple of times, 'Maybe my best option is just to get on a plane and get out of here.' It was my continued conversations with Ridley that gave me faith."

He added that Ridley encouraged him by telling him nothing would be filmed if he didn't believe in it 100%. The movie became a critical and commercial success, winning multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.

In a recent interview with Collider, Crowe shared that he was jealous that a sequel for the movie is in the works. "Gladiator 2" is a follow-up to the epic historical film that won Crowe an academy award but will shockingly not feature him on set.

The "Man of Steel" actor was asked what he'd like to see in the highly anticipated sequel.

"I don't know where they're going with it," he told the publication. "I'm sure there have been things on Scott's mind for the last 24 years that he thinks he can probably do better. I think that's one of the positives about it, that it's Ridley because he will want to go back into that world and create something on the same level of spectacle as the first one."

He continued, "I mean, look, the only thing I feel about it is slightly jealous, you know? Because I was a much younger man it was a huge experience in my life. It's something that changed my life."

During an appearance on "The Ryan Turbidy Show," Crowe disclosed that he would not reprise his role on "Gladiator 2." Paul Mescal of "Normal People" fame will star in the film, scheduled for release in late November 2024.

Per Variety, Since Crowe's character, Maximus, died at the end of the original movie, Mescal, 27, will play Lucius, the son of Maximus' lover, Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen), in the sequel.

Although Crowe might be "slightly jealous," he gave Mescal his blessings in the upcoming role and wished him the "best of luck."