| USA Weekend, Jan 6, 2002: His Day in the Sun An interview with Russell Crowe By Dennis McCafferty It's the kind of moment where you're thinking: Who is this gentleman, and what is he doing inside Russell Crowe's body? The immensely talented but reputedly irascible Australian Oscar-winner -- one who generates headlines for kicking maximus buttus onscreen and off, in both word and deed -- is sweetly recalling how he wins over females. Only, in this case, the females are, ahem, cows and horses. "We have 350 Angus cows," Crowe says, describing life on his 560-acre ranch in Coffs Harbour, about 340 miles northeast of Sydney. "You need to remain calm and in control. A person can get freaked out about having all of these animals around. But you can't pass off your fear on the animals because, believe me, mate, they are far more freaked out than you are. "If you represent yourself as nurturer and provider, you can create a relationship. You need to keep them healthy. You run your hands over them and make sure they don't have ticks. You check around their ears. The cows love all of this, because you're completely relaxed with them. "I have a new horse. I get her to come to me from half a mile away. With just a simple call. That's because she knows that when she's with me, she's taken care of. She trusts me." Russell, we hardly know ye. By legend, he is difficult and quick-tempered -- a pugnacious star with an outback-sized chip on his shoulder. But this isn't the real Russell, his friends and colleagues insist. Crowe, they say, is one of the most driven, intelligent and generous actors of his time. True, his intensity burns in megawatts. But it stems from his passionate nature, a thirst to live life and practice his craft without limits. Besides, they say, this Aussie fellow happens to be a helluva lot of fun. When the work is done for the day, Crowe, 37, likes to round up a crowd for dinner, even entertaining local residents for hours with a bottomless supply of colorful stories. (Think Crocodile Stanislavski.) As for gifts, there are many recollections, from sports jerseys on the set of "Gladiator" to stylish lab coats for a crew of hundreds on his latest film, "A Beautiful Mind" -- many with little nickname insignias. Or he'll give out candy from Australia. "Every few days," Crowe says, "I just want the people I work with to know that their attention to detail and focus is appreciated." "A Beautiful Mind" is generating Oscar buzz, particularly for Crowe's stunning performance. He plays real-life mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., who has suffered from paranoid schizophrenia but still won the Nobel Prize in 1994. This isn't tough-guy Russell, à la "L.A. Confidential". It's more the uncanny Crowe who skillfully transformed his appearance and persona for "The Insider". He ages 46 years in "A Beautiful Mind", most of them spent battling a destructive psychological foe. After filming, Crowe had nightmares. "The basic concept was the nature of schizophrenia," he says. "Fifty percent of what he believed to be absolutely real was actually false. A complete half of one's life was only his imagination. When I started thinking about a concept like that, I started to scan through my own experiences. It kept me up at night. But I do not begrudge the lack of sleep." In conversation, he is gracious. His well-reasoned thoughts are delivered with the most impressive baritone this side of Richard Burton. He's relaxed enough to slide into a couch on his back, staring wistfully at the ceiling as the discussion lingers. It's hardly all serious and brooding. There are plenty of stories about life down under; Crowe loves all creatures, great and lethal. "We have the taipan family, the most poisonous of snakes, with the king brown and the red-bellied black," he says, clearly enchanted. "Then there's the redback spider. I have not been bitten by the snakes but have been bitten by the spiders. It just depends upon how much they pump into you, mate, y'know? If they get a good shot at you, you're in a bit of trouble." As one might expect, Crowe's larger-than-life cinematic and real-life adventures seem to blur. On the set of "Gladiator", he had a close encounter with a man-eating tiger. "He was supposed to roll away safely, but the timing was off," recalls co-star Joaquin Phoenix. "He picked up his sword, turned around, and the tiger was on him. They got it off, and he was fine. I would have been screaming. Russell just looks around, dusts himself off and says, 'OK, let's go at it again.' " Crowe remains quite fond of those tigers, just like the creatures on his ranch. "There's something mesmerizing about their eyes," he says. "When a person is attracted at that level, you want to touch it, pat their fur, feel their coat. Then I pull myself back -- they're sitting there just begging for me to do that. 'Come on. I'm just a nice pussycat ...' " The fact that Crowe is so decidedly un-Hollywood, with his shaggy hair and a grizzly-bear beard, makes him both attractive and a tad dangerous. But Ron Howard, the director of "A Beautiful Mind", says it's Crowe's dedication that sets him apart. "He's extremely intellectual," Howard says. "I spoke to directors, and they said he really is an intense guy. But it's all about the work. If you're prepared and can debate his points, you won't have problems. It's not about being an egomaniac who wants things his way. He's challenging the material constructively." When the shooting is done for the day, however, Crowe plays. On the set of "Gladiator", he organized cricket matches. In Pascagoula, Miss., while shooting "The Insider", he'd charm the locals over bayou shrimp and beer. "He'd be going until 1 a.m.," says Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore, who played himself in the movie and still wagers with Crowe when the United States takes on Australia in the America's Cup. "I'm ready to call it a night, but Russell was just getting started. The next morning, he's back on the set at 6 a.m. A consummate pro. Look, he's a real guy. There isn't anything phony about him. He enjoys life every minute." Crowe talks a lot about his family and upbringing. Born in New Zealand, Crowe moved to Australia when he was 4. His father devoted much of his life to shaping up pubs -- unruly, gang-plagued places with names like The Flying Jug -- and turning them into respectable establishments. "Once the job was done, like a gunslinger, he'd go to the next town," Crowe says. "It was a great service to the communities." Then, there's the honorable legacy of his grandfather Stan Wemyss. The actor was wearing his grandfather's MBE medal as he accepted his Oscar last year. Wemyss was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire after serving as a cinematographer in World War II. "I never had a single conversation with him about it," Crowe says. "He kept the MBE locked away in its box. He never wore it. When he died, my grandmother gave me a box with his stuff. I found a whole bunch of medals." Crowe has a lot to say because he has a lot to dispel. (He won't discuss his past relationship with actress Meg Ryan, and he seems genuinely hurt that the subject comes up after an engaging conversation.) He realizes his romanticized rogue image can reap publicity dividends. But he's swift to derail misconceptions. True, he is a heavy smoker, but he finds nothing glamorous about it. He had his first cigarette at age 10 and has since regretted the day. Then, an abrupt segue: "Let's go over this drinking thing," Crowe says. "Gladiator" co-star Oliver Reed -- notorious for his brawling, boozing ways -- died during the shoot, and Crowe, in polite but clear terms, places distance between their lifestyles. "Mate, he did that to himself," Crowe says. "I have little time for the Oliver Reeds of this business. I'm not pleased that he's gone. In fact, I never had a drink with Oliver, because I didn't want to encourage him. I'll go for long periods without a drink. When I'm on the farm by myself, it's not something I even think about. But I'm not afraid to have a beer in front of a studio executive. That doesn't make me a wild man." You could conclude that Crowe has it all. He chooses from the best scripts, works with the top talent, then leaves it all behind for his ranch. But he knows there's something missing. He's not a father, and there's no immediate prospect of becoming one. By his own admission, he was a difficult son. Perhaps that would make him a better father? Who knows? But what strikes deeper is that Crowe, as rooted in family as he is, may never find out. "I've been thinking about this for a long time," Crowe says. "I'd like to be a father. But it's not something I can do by myself. I'm a lot more patient now than before, which is perhaps good. But I'm counting the years: 'Even if I get married and have a baby tomorrow, I'm going to be 57 when the kid is 20.' Frankly, this is starting to drive me nuts." EXTRA Crowe on: Good friend Nicole Kidman: "I've never worked with her. I met her through a couple good girlfriends of mine. She has a great sense of humor. She laughs easily. I like hanging out with people who laugh easily. Contrary to popular opinion, I like to be a little silly." Will Smith, his likely Oscar competition this year, with his film, "Ali": "I met him in (director) Michael Mann's office one day. He just walked in the door and I got this sense from him, this broader, spiritual thing, and that's something I gravitate toward." Leonardo DiCaprio, his co-star in "The Quick and the Dead": "When we see each other now, it's a very pleasant experience. It's beyond his being smart. He has something good inside of him, mate, that you can't destroy with this business. He's gone from strength to strength as an actor." Kevin Spacey, co-star in "L.A. Confidential": "Kevin is probably the most charming man who walks the planet. He's the Oscar Wilde of our times. I, unfortunately, didn't get to work with him that much and it was a great source of regret. In that movie, we only had one moment together. I love spending time with him. He's always very open and effusive." Sharon Stone, star and producer of "Quick and the Dead", who landed Crowe his first American film role and described him as the "sexiest guy working in movies": "She was instrumental about me getting my first American job. Absolutely, without her support, it would not have happened. At the same time, however, was it really about me or her wanting to flex her producer muscles? I don't want to sound ungallant about the situation. But I didn't find that in working with her, that we clicked on any other level." |