Russell Crowe reveals 'fighting Gladiator' team over Maximus

Russell Crowe says he fought to keep Maximus, his character in Gladiator, moral integrity while shooting the critically-acclaimed movie.

He shares in an interview with Triple J, a public radio station in Australia, that producers and writers wanted to add intimate scenes, but he flatly refused.

“The thing is, there was a daily fight on that set. It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character,” says the actor who went on to win the Oscar for his performance in the 2001 movie.

He continues, “The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus, it’s like you’re taking away his power. So you’re saying at the same time he had this relationship with his wife, he was f***** this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy.”

His comments are a reference to Gladiator's plot, where the wife and child of Maximus were murdered, and he set out on a path in the film to avenge them.

Russell, however, did not stop there. He also slams the sequel, starring Paul Mescal, as compromising the moral code of his character.

“I think the recent sequel that, you know, we don’t have to name out loud, is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special,” the actor notes.

“It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core," he opines.

Gladiator's sequel was out in 2024. Though critics, overall, shared favourable reviews. However, the second installment did not surpass the predecessor's glory.