Rosing to prominence with classics, including Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe has cemented himself as one of the most acclaimed actors of this generation.
One of the things that set Crowe apart from his peers is the actor’s unreal determination to the craft, and nothing showcases his commitment to his job better than his work on 2005’s Cinderella Man. But being one of the biggest names in showbiz isn’t always sunshine and roses as during the production of Cinderella Man, Crowe decided to go against great odds to complete the film.
Russell Crowe Ditched Operation to Complete Cinderella Man
Russell Crowe has sustained his fair share of injuries throughout his career, especially in his early days in Hollywood, which even involves a disintegrating hip that he got while filming Gladiator. However, one of the most arduous circumstances the actor faced occurred during the pre-production of Cinderella Man, as The Nice Guys Star accidentally dislocated his shoulder. And even though he was asked to undergo surgery in order to fix this, which would’ve resulted in him missing out on filming Ron Howard’s film, Crowe decided to go against the doctor’s warnings.
“The doctors kept saying, ‘If he goes down again, there’s no coming back,’” Howard told Entertainment Weekly. “It was nerve-racking as hell. But what were the options? Not do the movie?”
The Australian bloke did come forward to give more insight into the matter, explaining his reasoning behind ditching the surgery.
Russell Crowe Was No New to Injuring His Shoulder
This wasn’t the first time Russell Crowe dislocated his shoulder during the production of a film, as he clarified that it was a pre-existing issue that initially occurred in a film he didn’t end up doing. But that time, the actor didn’t ditch the doctor’s advice and did undergo surgery in order to fix it, which explains why he was not on board dropping down another film for the same issue.
“The first operation was something that happened in pre-production on a film I didn’t end up doing, but that was the straw that broke the camel’s back really,” Crowe told Vulture. “I was doing a thing where I was lifting a girl up doing some gymnastics stuff, and I was listening to the trainer talking, and I had my hands up where she was supposed to put her feet, but I wasn’t ready, and she stepped on my arms both at the same time and pulled and just tore the labrum tissue.”
Fortunately, it seems that things did go on without any additional accidents on the sets of Cinderella Man, as Crowe stood tall against all odds.
Cinderella Man is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
