Russell Crowe reveals the name of the only actor who has managed to distract him throughout his career and it’s an actor, also adored, with a very particular sense of humor…
When we think of Russell Crowe, we think of an actor who is calm, serious and not very inclined to burst out laughing on set or to be distracted in the middle of a scene… And yet. Yes, everyone ends up, sooner or later, finding that colleague who makes you laugh while you try to do your job with sincerity. And for Russell Crowethis colleague is Ryan Gosling!
As the Gladiator star explained in an interview with GQ, Ryan Gosling was indeed the only co-star who made him go out of character in the middle of a scene – which is quite understandable considering that the feature film they collaborated on was none other as The Nice Guys (2016), the hilarious comedy set in the 70s, directed by Shane Black – and if we also take into account the legendary humor of the Barbie actor!
“I loved doing this movie. Ryan Gosling… God. I’m trying to work with that kid. […] There’s something about acting called ‘corpsing’ – laughing inappropriately. That little bastard made me laugh every time.”
Russell Crowe has indeed the reputation of being one of those actors who stays in character no matter what, to the point that Ridley Scott came to mock him during the filming of Gladiator.
“I’m famous for not getting out of character no matter what – Ridley [Scott] laughed about it. The Colosseum could collapse behind me [dans Gladiator] and I would continue to do my business”, said the Oscar-winning actor for his role in the 2000 epic. “But then you have something like The Nice Guys. People love that movie.”
Warner Bros. Pictures / Bloom
And yet the film almost didn’t get made…
The production of The Nice Guys was rather complicated as the director revealed Shane Black in an interview with IndieWire. Eventually, Russell Crowe only joined the cast of the film because Ryan Gosling had agreed to play there.
“My friend Anthony Bagarozzi and I created the screenplay in 2001, which was set in the present day and went nowhere. We tried it again as a series for CBS in 2006 and it didn’t go anywhere either. Finally, in 2014, we gave it one last try, Ryan Gosling read it and his agent said, ‘This is what Ryan is looking for.’ Within three days, Russell Crowe said, ‘I like it, and if Ryan does it, I’ll do it.’ Everything came together in three days.”
Unfortunately, the release of Angry Birds – The Movie ended up surpassing The Nice Guys at the box office. According to Ryan Goslingthe animated film even “destroyed” them, and that would be why one got a sequel and the other didn’t, despite rumors of a sequel and good reviews. It’s a shame.
The Nice Guys is available to (re)discover on VOD.
