Russell Crowe calls original script of Gladiator ‘absolute rubbish’: Here’s why

Russell Crowe makes shocking revelations about iconic movie, Gladiator, calling it “absolute rubbish”.

During his recent appearance on Vanity Fair’s YouTube series, Crowe revealed that he wanted to back down from the movie because of the script.

“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,” said the 59-year-old.

The Beautiful Mind star continued, “At the core of what we were doing was a great concept but the script, it was rubbish, absolute rubbish. And it had all these sorts of strange sequences.”

Crowe was sceptical of the script, as the writers wanted to incorporate a scene of brand endorsement deals amid real-life famous gladiators.

“The energy around what we were doing was very fractured. I did think a couple times, ‘Maybe my best option is just to get on a plane and get out of here’. It was my continued conversations with Ridley Scott (director) that sort of gave me faith,” explained the actor.

Crowe pointed out that when he saw the complete movie for the first time at a screening, he was “blown away by it”.

“And when I first saw it with a crowd, that's when it really freaked me out because it was like going to a movie when I was a kid,” disclosed the actor.

Crowe noted, “People were so connected to the film and they were voicing that connection.”

“They are not just connected to it, but they love it with a passion,” he added.