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Russell Crowe Reflects On Gladiator 2 Being Made Without Him
Russell Crowe shares his feelings about Gladiator 2 being made without him. Released in 2000, Ridley Scott's Gladiator featured Crowe in the lead role as Maximus, a Roman general who is sold into slavery before becoming a hero of the gladiatorial arena. The film was a critical and commercial hit, and Scott is now set to return to that same world with his upcoming Gladiator 2, which follows Paul Mescal's Lucius on a new journey years after Maximus' death.
In a recent interview with Kyle Meredith With..., Crowe reveals that Gladiator 2 happening without him makes him feel "slightly uncomfortable.". While the actor is careful to not get into too many specifics regarding what he knows about the new film, he admits to feeling protective of the character of Maximus and that story, and how it could be treated in the sequel. Check out Crowe's full comment below:
“I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know? Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done. A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character. But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like.”
“I reflect back on the age I was when I made that film and all the things that came after it and the doors that particular movie opened for me. So there’s definitely a tinge — and this is just being purely honest — a tinge of melancholy, a tinge of jealousy . Because I remember when I had tendons.”