> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # It’s all about telling the story for Russell Crowe - URL: https://www.smdp.com/its-all-about-telling-the-story-for-russell-crowe/ - Published: 2003-11-14T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:14:36.000Z - Author: Dan Dunn - Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import Pretend for a moment you’re Russell Crowe. For three years running, you’ve been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, taking home the hardware in 2002 for your performance as Maximus in Ridley Scott’s epic “Gladiator.” You’ve been lauded for practically every performance you’ve delivered in such celebrated films as “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Insider” and “LA Confidential.” Your efforts have secured you a position at (or very near) the top of Hollywood’s A-List, which is a very, VERY lucrative place to be. You’re handsome, recently married and expecting your first child. And your latest film, “Master And Commander: The Far Side of The World,” has the makings of another critical and commercial smash. Yes, it’s good to be Russell Crowe, isn’t it? OK, now stop pretending, kick back in your office cubicle, and read what the real deal has to say about it. Question: What matters most to you when choosing film roles? Russell Crowe: It’s got to be something that people can watch in 10 years, and it’ll still be relevant. If you go back through the movies that I’ve made, the emphasis has always been on the story. I’m just here to tell a story. Unfortunately, along the line somewhere, all this fame B.S. came in and things got changed around a little bit. But still, fundamentally, what I’m doing is trying to tell stories. Q: You must have learned a great deal about seamanship while researching the role of Captain Jack Aubrey. RC: It’s movie knowledge. You spend X amount of time becoming an expert on something, and as soon as you’ve done the last shot you throw it all away. Q: (Director) Peter Weir said he was impressed by how deeply the actors in “Master And Commander” immersed themselves into their characters. Can you tell us a little bit about that? RC: Peter encouraged the actors to be enthusiastic about their roles. For example, Mr. Howard, the marine captain (Chris Larkin), he yelled and screamed and cajoled his marines for three weeks to get them to the point where their drills were just perfect. Occasionally, I would visit while he was doing it and we’d have a little conversation off to the side, and I’d be very careful to stay within the realm of the kind of conversation we’d have had if we were actually on board (the ship). And this is just about expanding the fantasy. Q: How, specifically, does the production benefit from the blurring of the line between fantasy and reality? RC: That benefits the director when he’s got a group of very tired men in the 13th or 14th week of the shoot. They may be tired, but because they’ve been (in character) since day one. Look, there were no wrist-watches in the background of those scenes, and there’s no smiling in the face of something dangerous. Everybody was completely focused on the movie. Q: You work very well with Paul Bettany, your co-star in this film and “A Beautiful Mind.” Was that connection there from the beginning, or was it something that developed over time? RC: Paul and I had chemistry from the moment we met. And it was a strange meeting because I hadn’t supported his casting in “A Beautiful Mind” because I’d never heard of him. I probably went into that first meeting with Paul slightly negative. Q: You got over it quickly, though? RC: It was instantaneous. I walked into the room, Paul was there, I said “G’day,” he said “G-day.” I could just see it flooding out of his eyes — this urbane wit and sensitivity that is his makeup. Plus, I used to busk on the streets for a living, and so did Paul. So we have a shared history of wanting to be a performer (so badly) that when it comes down to it, if I have to sing in a railway station, then that’s what I’ll do. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 14, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111403.pdf?ref=smdp.com)