The Wolverine Why Did Russell Crowe Turn Down Wolverine

[narrows101]

The cast of Les Miserables (including Hugh and Russell Crowe) are doing press, and here's a video of someone asking Crowe why he turned down Wolverine.

http://watch.accesshollywood.com/video/russell-crowe:-why-did-he-turn-down-wolverine/2008287898001

 

[x-fan]

So basically it was because he had no Idea who or what Wolverine was, lol

 

[Hawkingbird]

I think that's fair enough :')

 

[psylockolussus]

Wow if he Hugh didn't work with Russell Crowe, we wouldn't know this info from more than 10 years ago.

Russell Crowe would be a good choice for Cable!

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Russell would have been interesting but I don't see him putting as much dedication into the role as Jackman has.

 

[psylockolussus]

^Definitely, I don't think Russell Crowe would play Wolverine more than three times.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Funny that he scoffs at it being from a "cartoon" and rolls his eyes yet he's going to be in a "cartoon" playing Superman's father. Guess he changed his view of things?

Either way it worked out for both of them. In 2000, Russell Crowe became a superstar and won an Oscar for Gladiator and Hugh Jackman might have never gotten his big break and we would have never heard of him had Crowe taken the role.

 

[Project862006]

wow he comes across as a dick lol

 

[x-fan]

the one thing i can say for sure, if he had taken the role, wolverine would not be a nice guy :P

 

[lordofthenerds]

I'm glad we got Hugh. Height difference be damned. He puts his all into embodying the character film after film, and does a fine job of it.

 

[Project862006]

the one thing i can say for sure, if he had taken the role, wolverine would not be a nice guy :P

^i agree Russel has that sean penn personality lol

 

[psylockolussus]

I'm glad we got Hugh. Height difference be damned. He puts his all into embodying the character film after film, and does a fine job of it.

Yes! He's very passionate and appreciative for the role!

 

[nouan]

I still remember when the first X-Men came and there was some snippet saying that Russell turned down the offer because he just did Gladiator, and didn't want to do another similar role.

 

[elgaz]

I still remember when the first X-Men came and there was some snippet saying that Russell turned down the offer because he just did Gladiator, and didn't want to do another similar role.

So he felt that playing a Roman general-***-gladiator in a historical epic was pretty similar to playing a modern day mutant with healing abilities, claws and an adamantium skeleton? I can see his logic there. If I squint

Ah I can forgive Crowe anything, he's still a tremendous actor.

 

[nouan]

So he felt that playing a Roman general-***-gladiator in a historical epic was pretty similar to playing a modern day mutant with healing abilities, claws and an adamantium skeleton? I can see his logic there. If I squint

Ah I can forgive Crowe anything, he's still a tremendous actor.

Maybe he meant similar in that he had to play this feroucious character who does violent things.

 

[elgaz]

He would have made an interesting Wolverine though. Definitely has the surly thing going on.

 

[StarLord]

Russell Crowe is Wolverine.

 

[psylockolussus]

I'm glad Russell Crowe turned down the offer. I don't see him wanting to play Wolverine for 4 to 7 movies.

 

[Joe Stubbs]

When did Russell Crowe turn it down? Was it before or after Dougray Scott?

 

[Celestial]

It was before Dougray Scott, some time in late 1998. He chose to do Gladiator, instead. I think the comparison was to Bud White, in LA Confidential, rather than Maximus.

The casting rumours were covered well on the CA website (which disappeared many years ago) and I remember the one about Crowe thinking the character was too similar to another he'd played but also that his price had gone up to $8m and that was too high for the film's budget of $65m (it later increased to $75m).

This old AICN story refers to an online chat on 24th September 1998: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/2207?q=node/2207

 

[TheJusticeLease]

Wow. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have cut X-Men 1's budget if they'd has Russel Crowe on board!