Russell Crowe Admits He’s ‘Slightly Uncomfortable’ With Gladiator Sequel
Russell Crowe expressed his feelings about the upcoming sequel to the Gladiator, which was released in 2000. Crowe played the character of Maximus in the film, a Roman general who was forced to get into slavery and seek vengeance against the evil emperor Commodus for murdering his family.
During his recent appearance on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast, Crowe admitted that he’s “slightly uncomfortable” with making Gladiator II. He said, “I’m slightly uncomfortable with the fact they’re making another one—because, of course, [my character is] dead and I have no say in what gets done.
He showed his concern for the “moral journey” of that particular character that is going to be portrayed in the upcoming film by stating, “A couple of the things I’ve heard I’m like, ‘No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character’. But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like.”
He also reflected on the time he spent making that movie and the opportunities it presented. He said, “I reflect back: the age I was when I made that film and all the things that came after it, the doors that particular movie opened for me.”
He admitted that he felt a little jealous for not being part of the sequel by stating, “This is just me being purely honest: there’s definitely a tinge of melancholy, a tinge of jealousy. I remember when I had tendons.”
Crowe previously spoke about being jealous of the sequel in an interview with Collider in 2023. “I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know? Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life.”
The original film Gladiator was released in 2000, under the direction of Ridley Scott. The movie was praised for its acting, direction, music, choreography, and production design. The film grabbed five Academy Awards, including the Best Actor Award for Crowe.
After acting in the film, Crowe went on to act in several other films, including A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, American Gangster, and Robin Hood. He portrayed the character Zeus in the MCU film Thor: Love and Thunder.
The sequel movie to Gladiator was announced in 2018. the film is directed by Ridley Scott, based on the script of David Scarpa. Paul Mescal plays the lead role of Lucius Verus, who was the son of Lucilla, sister of Commodus and Maximus’ former lover. The filming is currently ongoing in the UK, and it will be scheduled to release on November 22, 2024.