Revista Claudia, Janeiro 2008, Pages 148 to 151

And he is still a good father

Forget the image of quarrelsome, womanizer and hard drinker. At 43 years old, with 2 children and keen on the wife, Russell Crowe is going even to be baptized. And he is still very handsome, as we can see in the movie American Gangster, which premieres this month.
By Tetê Ribeiro

It was not easy to interview Russell Crowe. As he stays a little in USA, he was with his schedule full because of the promotion of American Gangster, directed by English Ridley Scott. The movie, which will premiere this month in Brazil, reached the first place of American box office in its 1st week of exhibition and it’s been pointed as one of the favorites to the Oscar. In this movie, Crowe portrays the cop Ritchie Roberts in his real pursuit/chase to trafficker Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), who transported heroin in the army airplanes during the Vietnam War. Ritchie is not seen with good eyes by his colleagues by being honest – a menace to other cops, used to let the traffickers in peace in return of money. In the real life, his moral attitude skids: the cop has affairs and lost the wife and the son in the Justice. This duality reminds another one: of the actor who was born in New Zealand in 1964 and raised in Australia, who in moving to Hollywood in the wake of Gladiator, became famous as for his work – he even got the Oscar – as for his explosive personality, which seem to be calmed down.

Crowe is married to Australian actress Danielle Spencer, with whom he dated before the fame. Both ended the relationship when he moved to USA. There, officially, the actor dated actress Meg Ryan, but rumor has it/it has been speculated he had passed for Nicole Kidman’s and Jodie Foster’s beds. . His fame of a rude reached the edge in 2005, when was arrested for throwing a telephone in an employee of Mercer hotel, in New York, because he didn’t get to make a call to Australia. Today, back to the roots, he states being passionate by wife Danielle and is the father of Charles (4 years old) and Tennyson (1 year old). Crowe believes that paternity changed his life. And now he is preparing himself to get baptized. “If it’s important baptizing my children, why not me? There is something bigger that move all of us. I am willing to have faith”, he says.

Faith we have, after lots of negotiation we got finally interviewed him. In 2 meetings, one in Los Angeles and another in New York, the actor showed himself good humored, smart and light hearted with the looking. He was hairless, black t-shirt, a waistcoat with a bunny, bermuda and slippers. Well, in New York he was different: changed the Bermuda for a very used jeans.

Claudia : Do you use always this waistcoat with a white bunny. What is it about?
Russell: The bunny is a symbol of Australia’s rugby team, the Rabbitohs, from South Sydney, that I bought in a partnership with a friend. They were going to finish with the team if none put some money, and I thought I could help. I am very keen on this sport, besides of being violent.

Claudia: Did you ever want of being a rugby player?
Russell: It was my dream. I began to play when I was 4. but, in high school, I had another interests. I had the day of the game and one week of a purple eye, incredible pain and a bad mood of the hell until beginning to get training for the next game. Then, I began to think that rehearsing with my band was more attractive.

Claudia: And the band goes on?
Russell: Its name is 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. Some of the guys who played with me at the time of high school are still at my side. But now the band is on hold. Who knows if we come back to play in 2009. It’s as everything in life, you need to have priorities.

Claudia: Your career as an actor began very early, didn’t it?
Russell: I was 8; I took a participation of an episode of a TV series in Australia. By my 13, I won a constant character. But I began only at the theater when I was 22.

Claudia: And what makes you being interested in American Gangster?
Russell: When I read the original script, which was very different of the final version, I didn’t like so much of the role. Then, I met Ritchie Roberts (the cop Russell portrays in the movie and who is an attorney nowadays) and I wanted to portray his story in the movie. His relationship with Frank Lucas is interesting and complex. And Ritchie is a fascinating guy. He began in the navy, worked with Israel police to catch cannabis dealers in the border and, when he came back to USA, he was placed in the police without ever receiving training. He stayed shocked with the corruption at the time. He decided so to study law at night, after the job. His first client was exactly the guy he passed years trying to find, but also who helped him to make a general cleaning in New York’s police – it was no more so corrupt at that time.

Claudia: And how do you do to meet the person you are going to portray in the movie? He can build up the stories to impress you?
Russell: But this I can do with you too, can’t I?

Claudia: You can. Do you do?
Russell: No. But my vice/addiction is being in unnecessary discussions with journalists, for sure, but I am completely calm and relaxed today.

Claudia: Well, since it is so, tell a little about your famous fight with the telephone …
Russell: It’s better not to provoke the sleepy monster (laughs). Catch this telephone (he points to a phone in the table of the hotel’s room), remember that he has not that sticker with the instructions and try to call to someone of your family. Let’s go back to talk about movies?

Claudia: This is the 3rd movie in which you play a real character and who is still alive (the others are chemist Jeffrey Wigand, from The Insider, and scientist John Nash, from A Beautiful Mind). Do you feel attracted for this kind of role?
Russell: I have never thought about it, but it’s quite probable. It’s a great responsibility, cause, besides the person could see what have you done with his image in the movie, it has all the relatives, the wives, the children, the friends. You need be true to the guy until a certain point, but also independent. You cannot simply mimic/imitate him, you have to interpret. But the real person alive is the best source of research, with no doubt.

Claudia: You have 2 sons. Was it different being/becoming a father for the second time?
Russell: Yes, but I was not one of these fathers who panic when catching the first son in arms. My first son was born and I became a big daddy in one minute. I think all of this wonderful. The experience of making a family is really fantastic. Moreover, each son has his own personality and needs of a different kind of attention.

Claudia: Did the paternity change your life a lot?
Russell: For sure, and all the changes were for the better. Everybody talks that get tired, overloaded, that sleeps few. As I never was of sleeping a lot, I think it’s easier for me. But my wife claims of the lack of sleep. She liked of sleeping until later, but today she doesn’t resist and goes out of the bed earlier than she wanted when realizes that the children have already awakened.

Claudia: You are all the time traveling for the job. How is leaving the family?
Russell: I have horror of being away from my wife and from my kids, I avoid it as much as I can. Since Charles, my oldest son, was born, in 2003, I didn’t spent any more long periods away from Australia. Now, after 2 weeks away, I am almost irrational of so much homesickness. When I shot American Gangster, I stayed 8 weeks away from them. Tennyson, my second son, had been just born, and nor him and neither my wife could travel. So, I have no choice. I hope this does not happen again, it was very painful.

Claudia: Is it true you quit of drinking when your wife got pregnant by the first time?
Crowe: I stopped drinking with her, or better, in front of her. I like to drink a beer now and then, wine, cognac. As I have a band and a rugby team, it’s almost obligatory to drink in these situations. But also I did not want to be cruel. At that time she couldn’t drink, so, when she was with me, I didn’t drink too.

Claudia: How do you stay in shape?
Russell: Do you really think I am in shape?

Claudia: Each person thinks that is in shape when likes of what he/she sees in the mirror, who knows how you like of seeing yourself …
Russell: You are being kind because you think I am fat (laughs). Don’t bother with that, I certainly don’t bother. I almost never look at the mirror. And at the moment I am out of shape, some kilos over the weight which I fell comfortable. But it’s on purpose. I need fatten still more for next role in the movie Body of Lies, with Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Ridley Scott too, that will be released next year.

Claudia: What is so special in the partnership with Ridley Scott?
Russell: The first movie we did together was Gladiator, in 2000. We didn’t know each other and we were doing a gigantic movie with a weak script, unfinished. It was a real blood baptism. During the process, we realized we were at the same side e our relationship was growing. . It’s very good being an actor in a Ridley Scott’s movie set. He gives responsibility and a lot of space to the actor. But we didn’t do another movie right after Gladiator. We went working with other people and one missed the other’s collaboration. Our second movie, A Good Year, was done 6 years later. Now we stay more attached (laughs).

Claudia: The relationship goes on getting better?
Russell: A lot. Today we get to have discussions in the set without saying a word. I look at him with a disgruntled face, he answers with a glance of doubt, I raise the forefinger asking to shot one more scene, he makes a face that it’s not necessary, I look with a more irritated face and he talks to the cast and the team: “Let’s do it one more time”.

Claudia: That is a thing you never will get in the marriage …
Russell: Yes, in a marriage is the contrary (laughs). The relationship also gets better, but the fights get for sure more long. But I am very bad to discuss. Sometimes I should let my wife very frustrated, because, when I am irritated, I stay silent.

Ivani