The three iconic actors Russell Crowe called sellouts: “He picked a fight with me”
At one point, Russell Crowe was undoubtedly among the biggest names in the film industry. Known for his roles in iconic projects such as A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator, Crowe was regularly cited as one of the best actors of his generation, gathering accolades and millions of dollars that invariably come with them. Still, his later career doesn’t justify that claim, and he has found himself starring in a run of diminishing projects.
In recent years, Crowe has starred in a handful of memorable films, such as The Nice Guys. However, most of the other additions to his filmography are nowhere close to the quality of his earlier works, like the fantastic neo-noir L.A. Confidential or Ridley Scott’s American Gangster. It was with these productions that he gave himself a reputation that still just manages to keep his lofty ideas afloat.
Due to the decline in the kind of assignments he gets these days, Crowe’s presence within the industry has become diminished. However, at one point, the actor decided to start a feud by insulting three of the biggest stars in Hollywood – George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro. It’s a bizarre take, considering the men he was aiming at.
Robert De Niro certainly has a hefty run of bloopers in his widespread filmography, but it’s hard to think of the man many would call the greatest actor of the 20th century as a sell-out. Despite the fact that he starred in arthouse roles such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Deer Hunter, the actor has often been the creative driver behind those projects. There are some paycheque drive roles in between these mammoth performances, but holding De Niro accountable for Meet The Fockers while he is still giving performances like 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon is outlandish, to say the least.
Harrison Ford and George Clooney can feel just as frustrated by the claim. Their popularity as two of Hollywood’s most adored leading men does not necessarily equate to selling out. For the most part, aside from the odd ill-advised Indiana Jones reprisal, the two men have moved away from big-money productions in favour of more creatively enhancing work. In an interview with Esquire, Clooney opened up about the incident with Crowe.
The actor said: “He picked a fight with me. He started it for no reason at all. He put out this thing saying, ‘George Clooney, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro are sellouts.’ And I put out a statement saying, ‘He’s probably right. And I’m glad he told us, ’cause Bob and Harrison and I were also thinking about starting a band, which would also fall under the heading of bad use of celebrity.'”
According to Clooney, Crowe was enraged when he found out about it: “And that’s when he really went off on me. ‘Who the fuck does this guy think he is? He’s a Frank Sinatra wannabe.’ He really went after me. And so I sent him a note going, ‘Dude, the only people who succeed when two famous people are fighting is People magazine. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Clooney also revealed how Crowe tried to apologise: “He sends me a disc of his music and a thing of his poetry. I think he said, ‘I was all misquoted,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever.’ I did take it with me to the BAFTAs, but I didn’t win. I might have used it if I had won. I was nominated for four!”In 2022, Crowe starred alongside Zac Efron in The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which tells the story of a young man who sneaks into the Vietnam War to bring beer to his friends. He also played a tech billionaire in a new thriller called PokerFace, which was eventually released on VOD. If selling out is the destination to avoid, Crowe might need to keep his eyes on the road.
