The Unofficial Russell Crowe Resource Page

This is an article from That's Life magazine written by Susan Granger. Thanks to Aruana of the CrowePeople mailing list for typing it in.

LOVES AND LOATHES

Oscar-nominated for The Insider, Russell is now a Hollywood star, born in New Zealand, he now lives in Australia and likes to keep his private life private.

LOVES

Fertile Woman - Women who have children really get to me. They're sexy. And I really do want children myself. I'm in baby mode like you wouldn't believe.

My Farm - It's 240 hectares located about 7 and a half hours north-west of Sydney, in the middle of a rainforest valley that was cleared 100 years ago. It's totally isolated and a very simple existence on one level, but very time-consuming. I'm a failure, financially, as a farmer, but it's a nice place and my parents and older brother, Terry, live there too.

Animals - I consider them mates. I've got cows, horses, dogs, chickens, roosters, turtles, goannas, snakes and a platypus.

Travel - I rode 6400km around Australia on a motorcycle it's a great way to see the country. I went from the Pacific Ocean to the Timor Sea.

Detail and Collaboration - Those are the principles that I've tried to hold onto in my work.

Ridley Scott - He directed my latest film, Gladiator, and he's Picasso. Seeing him orchestrate five cameras on five different monitors was amazing. And I really like him as a bloke, too.

Jodie Foster - I've always been a big fan of hers, long before I met her. When her baby was born, I sent her a couple of tiny rugby jumpers.

Smoking - Yeah, even after The Insider, I smoke. It's indicative of the power of nicotine. They're coffin nails.

Adaptability - It takes a certain strength of character to realize that the ground shifts under you all the time. You have to learn how to adapt and focus.

Souvenirs - When a film's wrapped, I try to trade the canvas directors' chair with my name printed on it for the chair of one of my co-stars. I got Kim Basinger's after LA Confidential. Now that's cool, isn't it.

She's not impressed - It's a song I wrote and performed with my rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. Love the song, love singing - and I love a yodel.

The Flight between LA and Sydney - I know most people hat the 13 hour journey, but I've come to love it. You just have to set your mind to travel. I work for the first few hours, watch one or two movies, sleep and then wake up as we land.

LOATHES

How long it takes to get established - Everyone is always discovering me. I started working in TV at six, but I was never a child star - I was a child extra. My parents were location caterers, so I was the annoying little kid on the set.

Losing perspective - I get on a plane and go to work, but I also know where I come from. I'd hate to lose that.

My height - Being under 6 foot, I've always felt short.

Accusations of arrogance - I'm not arrogant. I'm focused. I don't make demands. I give options and it's up to you to choose them or throw them away.

Killing - I can't even slaughter the cattle on my farm.

Dieting - I gained 16 kg to play Jeffrey Wigand in The Insider. It was easy to gain - I ate cheeseburgers and drank bourbon - but hard to lose.

Ice-skating - I had to learn for Mystery, Alaska. The physical challenge for me was learning how to ice-skate from scratch - I started in November and we were due to start shooting in January. I failed dismally. There's no way I could ever by an ice-skater.

Taking money without earning it - I'm a fascist in the sense that I've never been on the dole and I've never taken a grant. I've been a waiter, bartender, car washer, club manager - even a bingo caller at a resort. There's a certain number of people who think the world owes them. The world doesn't owe you a g..ddamned thing.

Weak characters - I wouldn't play a weak guy. There's nothing more boring than that. You've got to have the chops as an actor, but they've got to be built into the script, too.

Typecasting - After Romper Stomper, I was immediately offered half a dozen roles with shaven heads and tattoos. I threw the scripts in the garbage. I hate typecasting. Repetition gets really bad for your head.

Abstinence - People in the US are so abstinent - no alcohol, no cigarettes. It really is the most puritan of progressive societies. Even the Germans know how to have a good time, tell a few stories, have a few drinks.

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