Russell Crowe Hated Gladiator's Best Line (& Tried To Improvise It Better)
One of the very best lines in Ridley Scott's epic historical drama Gladiator was despised by Russell Crowe, so much so that the Oscar winner tried to improvise one he liked better instead. The screenplay for Gladiator was helmed by three successful screenwriters who all went on to write more historical epics. David Franzoni wrote the 2004 King Arthur, John Logan penned the biographical film The Aviator, and British playwright William Nicholson co-wrote Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Gladiator was also nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 73rd Academy Awards. The movie won Best Picture that year, though the script was bested by Almost Famous. Given that Ridley Scott had a team of heavyweight writers behind the film, it's hard to imagine that Russell Crowe would find anything to have a problem with.
In Gladiator, Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a Roman general returning from a successful battle against the Germanic tribes. When Maximus returns, Emporer Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) admits that his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is too volatile for the throne and therefore wants Maximus to succeed him. Commodus finds this out and murders his father, then attempts to gain Maximus' loyalty. The General refuses and flees. His family is killed by Commodus and after a long journey through the wilderness, Maximus is captured by slavers. The slavers sell him to a gladiator trainer and he learns to fight alongside Juba (Djimon Hounsou) and Hagen (Ralf Möller). Maximus returns to Rome when Commodus puts on 150 days of games in the Colosseum. After his glorious gladiatorial debut, Commodus asks Maximus to remove his helmet and reveal his true identity.
The line that rubbed Russell Crowe the wrong way in the iconic Ridley Scott movie was "And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next". An article published in The Guardian reveals that the actor tried numerous times to improvise a "better" line to use. However, all of his improvisations were cut, and he was convinced to go back to the original script. It's hard to imagine that anyone could come up with something better than what was written. The line comes at such a critical point in the movie: when Maximus reveals his true identity, and intentions, to Commodus. The sentence fully summates the character's primary goal, while at the same time touching on some of the themes of death and perseverance explored in the film. While it's not known what Russell Crowe preferred Maximus to say, he did state this about the line: "It was sh*t. But I'm the greatest actor in the world and I can make even sh*t sound good."
While the self-proclaimed "greatest actor in the world" wasn't able to improvise a better line, plenty of other actors have made up lines that live on. Roy Scheider famously coined "We're gonna need a bigger boat" in Jaws. The iconic back and forth between Princess Leia and Han Solo led up to the "I love you/I know" exchange, which was improvised by Harrison Ford in Star Wars. Of course, no one can forget the most famous movie phrase of all time, "Here's looking at you, kid" from Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart ad-libbed the line since the script wasn't finished. In all of these cases, the actor's improvised lines added something much-needed to the original script. Unfortunately for Russell Crowe, Gladiator didn't need any revisions.
Despite the Australian actor's controversial persona, it's clear the man is burgeoning with talent. Russell Crowe performs many of his stunts, even in his increasing age. Over the years the tough guy has racked up 70 acting credits to his name and continues to work in the industry to this day. Gladiator may be one of the best films he's ever made as it not only shows off his incredible athletic ability but also his wide acting range.