Russell Crowe Says 'Gladiator II' Failed Due to Lack of 'Moral Core'
By
Melanie Goodfellow
Kettled twice. Extra chewy, extra trustworthy.
Summary
Russell Crowe criticizes Gladiator II, suggesting it failed because it lacked a "moral core" that made the original film resonate. He recounts pushing back against studio pressure to include sex scenes for his character Maximus in the original Gladiator, arguing that a man avenging his wife and child's death would not stop for sexual encounters. Crowe made these remarks while attending the Taormina Film Festival.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledRussell Crowe has suggested Ridley Scott's Gladiator II failed to ignite audiences in the same way as the original film because it lacked a 'moral core'.
I just kept pushing back.
I said, 'This is a story about a man who's avenging the death of his wife and his child. There cannot be a moment on that journey where he stops and has sex with somebody. It doesn't m
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