How Russell Crowe almost missed out on the role that made him famous because producers said he wasn’t bankable enough
How Russell Crowe almost missed out on the role that made him famous because producers said he wasn’t bankable enough
Russell Crowe became a star thanks to his critically acclaimed performance in the 1992 neo-Nazi drama Romper Stomper.
But the New Zealand-born actor wasn’t a big name at the time, and writer and director Geoffrey Wright has revealed he had to fight to cast him as the lead character, Hando, with producers insisting Crowe was not ‘bankable’.
“There was pressure on us to cast Ben Mendelsohn as Hando,” says Wright in the book “Australia’s Most Infamous Jail: Inside the Walls of Pentridge Prison,” as published in the Herald Sun this weekend.
“At that point, Ben was a recognized star, while Russell was relatively unknown outside New Zealand,” he continued.
“Russell had just received rave reviews for his supporting role in Jocelyn Moorhouse’s film Proof, but that was it,” he continued.
Russell Crowe (pictured) became a star thanks to his critically acclaimed performance in the 1992 neo-Nazi drama Romper Stomper. But the New Zealand-born actor wasn’t a big name at the time, and writer and director Geoffrey Wright has revealed he had to fight to cast him.
“Yet his work showed an energy that I thought would turn Hando, Romper Stomper’s antagonist, into a charismatic monster, a truly unforgettable villain. But I had difficulty convincing the investors of that.’
Russell became a household name and was nominated three times for an Oscar. He won a gong for his role in Gladiator in 2001, after gaining fame in 2000 as a lover of General Maximus Decimus Meridius.
These days, the actor and his girlfriend Britney Theriot are regularly spotted between Sydney and Coffs Harbour, where he is building a $400 million film studio called Aussiewood.
Crowe played the main character, Hando, with producers insisting that Crowe was not “bankable.” (Depicted in the film)
“There was pressure on us to cast Ben Mendelsohn as Hando,” says Wright. “At that point, Ben was a recognized star, while Russell was relatively unknown outside New Zealand.”
The Beautiful Mind star owns a 400-acre farm in nearby Nana Glen and divides his time between this estate and his home in Sydney.
Russell and Britney confirmed their long-rumored romance with an on-court kiss in November 2020.
It is believed he first met the (now former) actress on the set of his 2013 film Broken City.
Britney, who is the spitting image of Russell’s ex-wife Danielle Spencer, has since become a real estate agent.
Russell became a household name and was nominated three times for an Oscar. He won a gong for his role in Gladiator in 2001, after rising to fame in 2000 as General Maximus Decimus Meridius.