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Crowe is character actor in leading man’s body

There once was an old “Saturday Night Live” skit in which Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner argued over whether a particular product was a floor wax or a dessert topping. In stepped Chevy Chase to settle the matter: It was a floor wax AND a dessert topping, he declared. A rare combination indeed. Cut to Hollywood, present day. That argument might very well be raging anew — not over an aerosol can
/ Source: TODAY.com

There once was an old “Saturday Night Live” skit in which Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner argued over whether a particular product was a floor wax or a dessert topping. In stepped Chevy Chase to settle the matter: It was a floor wax AND a dessert topping, he declared. A rare combination indeed.

Cut to Hollywood, present day. That argument might very well be raging anew — not over an aerosol can labeled “New Shimmer,” but rather about an actor named Russell Crowe.

“He’s a leading man!”

“No, he’s a character actor!”

“Hey, calm down, you two. He’s a leading man AND a character actor!”

In his new film “Robin Hood,” which opens May 14, the debate is temporarily moot. The trailer and one-sheets clearly define Crowe as a leading man: brawny, forceful, defiant, someone to follow into battle. He carries a bow and arrow and he knows how to use it. Quiver? That’s for his enemies. Crowe has played the leading man before in such films as “Gladiator” — for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor — and “Proof of Life.”

Yet he also excels in roles in which he has to become someone else entirely. He received Oscar nominations for two such parts, in “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Insider.”

“Any movie that he’s in I’m intrigued to see, just because he’s in it,” said Claudia Puig, longtime film critic for USA Today. “I’m actually more of a fan of his character roles than his big action films like ‘Gladiator’ or ‘Robin Hood.’ I like to see him in intelligent roles.

“There’s so much nuance and depth in those kinds of parts, as opposed to being brawny and yelling. He has a very masculine presence and it works in those roles, but he can show more of his instrument and his depth in smaller character-driven roles.”

Reputation may have only burnished credentials

The word “difficult” follows Crowe around like a member of the paparazzi, but in fairness, it has been used often to describe anyone in Hollywood with an independent streak. Sometimes that label can scare off potential employers. In Crowe’s case, it seems to have burnished his already golden credentials.

“Bad boy behavior is tolerated, even somewhat vicariously enjoyed by some people. It’s certainly enjoyed by rock stars,” noted Todd McCarthy, longtime film critic for Variety who recently joined indiewire.com. “(Marlon) Brando had that quality.”

Crowe once threw a phone at a hotel employee. He was involved in a much-publicized affair with Meg Ryan. He has battled with producers and snarled at reporters.

“He’s known for being just as demanding of himself as he appears to be of others. And the fact that so many directors, and actors, want to work with him speaks volumes about his talent, pure and simple. They’ll put up with whatever other aspects about him are difficult because he is so exceptionally skilled at what he does. That is not often the case in Hollywood, where volatile actors often see their careers falter, if not completely disappear.

“If you get a reputation of being hard to work with, that can be the death knell for your career. But such never seems to be the case with Crowe, whose talent outweighs the troublesome side.”

In the 2007 release “American Gangster,” Crowe played Richie Roberts, a New York detective on the trail of heroin kingpin Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). The film was directed by Ridley Scott, who also worked with Crowe on “Gladiator,” “Body of Lies,” “A Good Year” and the upcoming “Robin Hood.”

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Steven Zaillian wrote the screenplay for “American Gangster” and said it is Crowe’s commitment to his craft that puts him in his own stratosphere.

“Like anything else, there has to be some innate talent to act,” Zaillian said. “To do it well — again, like anything — there has to be a good work ethic, which includes preparation.

“What sets Russell apart from other good actors — and which allows him, I think, to be convincing in both leading and character roles — are his real-life experiences. He wasn’t always an actor, and isn’t now only an actor. He has — and had — a life of interests apart from film, which he can draw from for his work in film.

“In ‘American Gangster,’ he brought — like he has to so many other parts – intelligence, authority, realism, and, to even further round it out, humor.”

Said Nick Pileggi, himself an Oscar-nominated screenwriter for “Goodfellas” who served as executive producer on “American Gangster,” of Crowe’s performance in that film: “His presence was critical. It would not have been as good a movie without him, even though it already had Denzel Washington, Ridley Scott and a Steve Zaillian script.”

McCarthy said Crowe is good enough to push even further beyond categorization. Back during awards season for “Gladiator,” McCarthy moderated a panel discussion that included Scott. Crowe arrived as a special surprise guest to pay tribute to Scott.

When describing Crowe, McCarthy again turns to Brando, arguably the greatest film actor ever.

“He’s (Crowe) one of those actors you just watch. He’s interesting just being there,” he said. “I like him in brooding introspective roles, like Brando. He just holds you. You feel the pent-up emotion and the brooding in him because I think he’s a turbulent guy, like Brando. That works to his benefit.”

Whatever Crowe has, it appears to work for him. “As for how he’s regarded in Hollywood,” Zaillian said, “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t put him very near, or at, the top.”

Michael Ventre is a frequent contributor to TODAYshow.com.