Russell Crowe’s one of the greatest cinematic works was riddled with script issues right from the beginning. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator had a difficult production owing to the multiple script rewrites and the death of actor Oliver Reed before the production was completed. Crowe was frustrated with the script throughout the film, but fans only remember iconic lines from the actor in the film.
Crowe at one point complained about the “trash writing” on the film and shared that his lines were garbage. However, he was so confident in his skill that he claimed he could make it work. The result was some amazing dialogue delivery from A Beautiful Mind actor, including his iconic vengeance speech.
Russell Crowe Considered The Writing On Gladiator as Garbage
Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator sequel is currently in the works and fans couldn’t help but go back to a few scenes from the director’s original film. Russell Crowe‘s iconic vengeance speech was one such scene that still gave fans goosebumps every time they rewatch it. The iconic dialogue goes like this:
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance — in this life or the next.
While Crowe created pure magic with the scene, fans must also note that he was not the biggest fan of the lines in the film. David Franzoni wrote the first draft of the script back in 1972. When Scott took it up, he felt that Franzoni’s dialogue lacked subtlety and hired John Logan to write a second draft.
Crowe complained that this version was “substantially underdone” when filming began (via Inside the Actors Studio). During an interview with Variety in 2020, Crowe and Scott admitted that the script constantly changed throughout filming, with Scott taking input from writers, producers, and actors.
William Nicholson was later hired to rewrite the script. Nicholson revealed in an interview with Daily Mail that he was summoned two days prior to filming a key scene to rewrite it. The Pope’s Exorcist actor was not happy about the whole situation and he took it out on the new writer of the film.
Nicholson shared that Crowe called his script garbage but told him that he could make it sound good since he was the “greatest actor” in the world. Nicholson recalled Crowe’s exact words to Daily Mail:
Your lines are garbage, but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even garbage sound good.
According to a DreamWorks executive, The Nice Guys actor questioned every aspect of the script and even refused to say his iconic vengeance line. The exec shared with Time:
Russell was not well behaved. He tried to rewrite the entire script on the spot. You know the big line in the trailer, ‘In this life or the next, I will have my vengeance’? At first he absolutely refused to say it.
However, things didn’t escalate further in the movie since Ridley Scott acted as a voice of reason and dealt with the issues in a more calm and composed manner. The exec recalled that Scott didn’t yell even once despite Crowe’s alleged aggressive behavior on set.
Gladiator Writer Understood Russell Crowe’s Frustration
William Nicholson further shared that Russell Crowe’s frustration with his script was not baseless. While he shared that his script was not garbage, Nicholson added that Crowe was indeed a great actor and his aggressive nature didn’t bother him at all. Nicholson shared with Daily Mail:
And the funny thing is that it’s true. OK, the lines weren’t garbage and he was a bit aggressive, but he is a great actor, so his occasional fits of arrogance didn’t bother me at all.
Nicholson revealed that when he joined the film, he understood that the film was in a lot of trouble and Crowe was under enormous stress. He admitted that Crowe was “quite resistant” in filming a few scenes. However, he eventually did them and it turned out to be great. Nicholson shared that Crowe was “very demanding but professional”.
The real trouble for Nicholson was the untimely passing of actor Oliver Reed. He shared that he had gone home after completing the script when the news about Reed’s death reached him. Nicholson had to fly back and redo the ending of the film.
The film went on to win five Oscars including Best Actor for Crowe and Best Picture. The screenplay was in the nominations for Best Original Screenplay.
Gladiator is now available for streaming on Paramount+ and Prime Video.
