Oscar winner Russell Crowe doesn’t give a damn about “Gladiator 2”. His blunt criticism of the sequel is causing a stir. What upsets him so much.
In 2000, Russell Crowe was the hero in Gladiator. In 2001 he was awarded the Oscar in the “Best Actor” category for the role of Maximus. Now, however, he is shooting against the sequel to the film.
Criticism from the then leading actor
In November 2024, director Ridley Scott brought the sequel “Gladiator 2” to theaters. However, the leading actor at the time, Russell Crowe, wasn’t there this time (his character also died in part one). In a podcast with the Australian radio station “Triple J”, the 61-year-old sharply criticized the sequel. The actor said: “The recent sequel, which we don’t have to say the name out loud, is a really good example of how even the people in the control room didn’t really understand what made the first one so special.”
According to Crowe, it’s not about action, blood and spectacle, but rather about values and the “moral core”.
What was 2000’s Gladiator about?
The first part of the Gladiator universe highlighted the story of the honorable Roman general Maximus. He is appointed his successor by the dying Emperor Aurelius. In response, the emperor’s jealous son, Commodus, murders his father and the general’s family. Maximus himself is enslaved and has to compete in the arena as a gladiator. Driven by hate, he has only one goal: to compete against Commodus in the arena to take revenge.
Credibility falls victim to love story?
In the podcast, the actor explained that even then it was difficult to sacrifice his character’s credibility for a love story: “It was a daily battle to maintain that moral core of the character. The times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus – it’s like taking away his power.”
Things look completely different in the sequel. The film follows Maximus’ adult son Lucius, portrayed by Paul Mescal. Lucius is an illegitimate child with Commodus’ sister Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen. This plot makes no sense to the Oscar winner.
“This is crazy”
“So they’re saying that at the same time he was having a relationship with his wife, he was f***ing this other woman? What are you talking about? That’s crazy,” Russell Crowe said somewhat bluntly on the podcast.
Many fans of the series see the whole thing similarly and agree with the criticism. Even though the main actor from 2000 wasn’t even in the sequel, he still gets some of the frustration. He reports on complaints from female fans in Europe: “When this film came out, I was in a restaurant and they came to me. I just thought: Hey, it wasn’t me! I didn’t make it!”