Russell Crowe's On-Set Diva Behavior Revealed, Was He Difficult To Work With?

The legendary film "Gladiator" is one of the best movies ever made in modern cinema, and actor Russell Crowe's performance earned him massive praise from both critics and audiences alike.

However, recent reports claim that Crowe's temper and on-set behavior made it almost impossible to finish the film. Past crew members of the set stated that Crowe was a nightmare to be around.

Crowe terrorized the set of the movie

The National Enquirer released an article about how Russell Crowe single-handedly made the filming of the movie a nightmare. Sources told the tabloid that Crowe was so wrapped up in feuding with actor Oliver Reed, fighting the scriptwriters and producers, and he nearly got attacked by a tiger.

The article stated that Crowe's intense words towards producer Branko Lustig had shocked the people on set. He hurled profanities, and he threatened to kill Lustig with his bare hands.

National Enquirer then reported about the clash of egos between Crowe and Reed, noting that the two actors were not friendly on set and that Crowe admitted that they did not get along.

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Crowe's problem with the script

Director Ridley Scott and Crowe told Variety that the tiger they used on the movie almost attacked the actor. But Crowe was not put off by the attack. He even complimented the tiger by saying that "it's so beautiful, so regal."

Crowe also had a problem with the script, resulting in him clashing with the writers and the producers. When Crowe was courted for the lead in the movie, the producers of the film did not want to send him a script because it was so bad.

One producer told Crowe that they did not want to send the script yet, but they wanted the actor to meet with the director. They only told them that he would play a Roman general, and the movie is set in 180 AD., and the film will be directed by Ridley Scott.

David Franzoni, the screenwriter for the movie, said in his interview with Variety that at one point during filming, Crowe was frustrated because of the scene that he did not like. But Franzoni said that despite being angry, he still did the scene and put it into his work, making his acting very convincing.

Crowe vs. the producer

Aside from clashing with the writers, Crowe also had an argument with Branko Lustig, one of the producers of the film. The feud between Crowe and Lustig was mentioned in the book "The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies and a Company called DreamWorks."

According to the account, Crowe was furious with Lustig for refusing to pay assistants a fair wage during filming. The cause of the feud was different from what the tabloid claims.

Despite his good intentions, which caused him to argue with Lustig, the book also claimed several on-set diva behaviors from the actor, which he dismissed.

Stories about the actor have been emerging recently as the studio is preparing for "Gladiator 2" decades after the first film was released.