Russell Crowe

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q129817: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as actor. The films the hosts said they acted in, which the two lists below run through too: L.A. Confidential (1997); The Insider (1999); Gladiator (2000); Proof of Life (2000); A Beautiful Mind (2001); Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003); Cinderella Man (2005); Robin Hood (2010); Man of Steel (2013); Noah (2014); The Nice Guys (2016); The Mummy (2017); Boy Erased (2018); True History of the Kelly Gang (2019); Unhinged (2020); The Pope's Exorcist (2023); The Exorcism (2024); Master and Commander; Virtuosity; unnamed Roger Ailes series.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Spartacus (1960): 3 lines

  1. lineage (riff / imitation) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Spartacus ⇒ Gladiator (the host's read). Richard, seeing Spartacus for the first time, says it is the main thing Gladiator riffs on.
    “this is really the main thing the gladiators are riffing on.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:03:34 · Richard Lawson (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. people (casting approach) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Spartacus ⇒ Gladiator (the host's read). Gladiator, like Spartacus, is loaded with supporting actors who are thespian gems, which the speaker says Scott recognized.
    “as Ridley Scott recognized about this movie, is like loaded up with supporting actors who are like just thespian gems.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:33:49 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (scene reused) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Spartacus ⇒ Gladiator (the host's read). The trident thrown into the stands in Spartacus is in Gladiator too, with Russell Crowe doing it.
    “that's literally in Gladiator.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:14:49 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

All the President's Men (1976): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Insider (1999), which they acted in: All the President's Men ⇒ The Insider (the host's read). The Insider is hoped to capture the same wave of reaction that All the President's Men did.
    “they're hoping to capture that same kind of that wave that people have when they saw all the president's men.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Insider’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:21:08 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)

Mike Wallace Is Here (2019): 1 line

  1. industry (industry) · through The Insider (1999), which they acted in: Mike Wallace Is Here ⇒ The Insider (the host's read). The documentary on Wallace informs the Plummer scenes.
    “And I think it actually informs this scene a lot”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Insider’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:37:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.45 sure it was them)

Rocky (1976): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Cinderella Man (2005), which they acted in: Rocky ⇒ Cinderella Man (the host's read). Rocky set up the idea that a victory transforms the supporting cast too, as in Cinderella Man where he fights for Giamatti.
    “by the time you get to like Cinderella man, you realize that he's not just fighting for him, he's fighting for Giamatti.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 0:28:11 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)

Titanic (1997): 1 line

  1. unmapped (shared-technology) · through Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), which they acted in: Titanic ⇒ Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (the host's read). The film exists because James Cameron's Mexican Titanic tank, with a gimbal, was still usable for the ship set.
    “James Cameron had done the legwork to build out the system to be able to basically shoot this on a gimbal in a tank of a proper set.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:30:47 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Gladiator II: 6 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). The sequel is very similar in structure and story to the original.
    “it's pretty well known that this movie is very similar in structure and story to the original.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:06:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). The sequel's plot, structure, approach and pacing mirror the first, forcing a one-to-one comparison.
    “it's just the movie is so similar to the 1st one in terms of plot, structure, approach, focus, pacing.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:15:52 · Mallory Rubin (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. contrast (contrast) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). The sequel tries to feel new by flipping the first film's premise: Marcus Aurelius's dream of Rome becomes its failure.
    “Instead of here's Marcus Aurelius's dream of what Rome can be, it's a bastardization and a compromise and a failure to execute against that promise.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:21:30 · Mallory Rubin (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (lineage) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). Because it mirrors the first film, outcomes for characters become predictable by inversion.
    “I almost felt like it became impossible not to know what was going to happen to certain people”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:21:39 · Mallory Rubin (0.50 sure it was them)
  5. lineage (lineage) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). Lucius's hand in the grain is a callback to Maximus's hand in the wheat.
    “And it's an obvious callback to Maximus walking through the kind of afterlife feeling the wheat.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:52:34 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. craft (craft) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Gladiator II (the host's read). Lucius as Maximus's son is a classic retcon not in the first film's text.
    “it is, is a classic case of reconning.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:53:58 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

Kingdom of Heaven (2005): 1 line

  1. unmapped (followed) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Kingdom of Heaven (the host's read). Ridley tried to repeat Gladiator with Kingdom of Heaven and again later.
    “And even Ridley tried to do it. Kingdom of Heaven. Two more times.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:06:08 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Judge (2014): 1 line

  1. lineage (homage) · through Man of Steel (2013), which they acted in: Man of Steel ⇒ The Judge (the host's read). The tornado father-son fight echoes the father-son tornado scene in Man of Steel, another Warner Bros. film.
    “an homage to everyone's favorite father son scene from Man of Steel.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Judging The Judge · 1:20:04 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Troy (2004): 1 line

  1. unmapped (followed) · through Gladiator (2000), which they acted in: Gladiator ⇒ Troy (the host's read). Troy coasts off the goodwill from Gladiator.
    “Troy is the one that coasts off of the Goodwill from Gladiator”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:06:43 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Zodiac (2007): 1 line

  1. lineage (structure / influence) · through L.A. Confidential (1997), which they acted in: L.A. Confidential ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Leslye says Zodiac feels like it follows in the footsteps of L.A. Confidential.
    “zodiac feels like it follows in the footsteps of that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:50:16 · Leslye Headland (0.80 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Acting (38) everyone in acting

Other (3) everyone in other

What was said about them, by kind

career (4)

  1. career (career-arc): Russell Crowe → The Nice Guys. The Nice Guys is Crowe's best performance after this and marks the turn to dads, mentors and villains in later years (The Mummy, Man of Steel, exorcism movies).
    “his best performance after this is obviously nice guys, which he's so incredible.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:41:01 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): Russell Crowe → Al Pacino. Pacino gets three decades to be Al Pacino while Crowe gets five years, a statement about the movie business.
    “Pacino gets 3 decades to be Al Pacino.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Insider’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:18:33 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Russell Crowe → Val Kilmer. Crowe's choice between character actor and leading man is likened to the Val Kilmer and Brad Pitt conundrum.
    “This is the Val Kilmer Brad Pitt conundrum, right?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Insider’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:07 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. career (career): Meg Ryan → Russell Crowe. The scandal around Russell Crowe is blamed for wrecking Ryan's career, a sexist outcome.
    “The Russell Crowe thing totally ruins her.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · You've Got Mail with Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber (Ad-Free) · 1:26:00 · unknown (0.00 sure it was them)

lineage (1)

  1. lineage (star-lineage): Russell Crowe → Charlton Heston. At his peak Crowe is like Mel Gibson, Gregory Peck, and Charlton Heston at the same time.
    “This guy's like Mel Gibson and Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston at the same time.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:13:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

people (2)

  1. people (casting-ideal): Russell Crowe → Richard Burton. Weir's ideal Aubrey would have been Richard Burton; Crowe is the closest you get in 2000, and Hodgman says Burton lacks Crowe's humor.
    “Weir says his ideal choice would have been Richard Burton. Unfortunately, he was very dead.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:11:29 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. people (people): Russell Crowe → Proof of Life. On Proof of Life Ryan cheated on Dennis Quaid with Russell Crowe, a tabloid scandal.
    “That's the one where she, she did it with Russell Crowe and also she, like, cheated with Russell Crowe.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · In the Cut with Jourdain Searles (Ad-Free) · 0:18:45 · Griffin or David (unclear) (0.35 sure it was them)

unmapped (2)

  1. unmapped (star-type): Russell Crowe → Ben-Hur. Quoting Lex G on Ben-Hur's Charlton Heston who could be larger than life yet steady, they say Crowe is the one modern guy who can do that.
    “no one can hold a movie like this and sort of know how to be larger than life, but also just steady at the center.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:13:08 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (only-guy-who-can): Russell Crowe → Exodus: Gods and Kings. When someone else, even a proven actor like Christian Bale, tries the big-epic role, audiences don't buy it; Crowe is the one who can pull it off.
    “when they try to put someone else into this, even when it is a proven actor, like you get fucking Exodus gods and kings with Christian Bale is Moses and everyone's like not buying it.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:14:22 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (1)

  1. what-if (what-if): Russell Crowe → Kevin Spacey. Simmons floats Crowe as in The Insider as Sam.
    “Russell Crowe could have played that part in the insider version of Russell Crowe”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Margin Call’ With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, and Brian Koppelman · 1:11:11 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

  1. fun, about Russell Crowe: Crowe would not use his Australian accent despite historians saying it would be acceptable, going for a solid upper-class British voice instead.
    “Crow decides that'll just feel unnatural.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 1:18:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Russell Crowe: Trivia: the FBI reportedly intercepted a threat that the Taliban wanted to kidnap Crowe before the Oscars.
    “the FBI intercepted a threat that the Taliban wanted to kidnap Russell Crowe before the Oscars”
    Blank Check — Patreon · In the Cut with Jourdain Searles (Ad-Free) · 0:19:25 · Griffin or David (unclear) (0.35 sure it was them)