Russell Crowe Reveals Why He Passed on Wolverine

In the seventeen years since taking on the role, Hugh Jackman has captivated audiences in his portrayal of Logan Howlett, A.K.A. Wolverine. But for a period of time, another Australian A-Lister almost took the role. And now, he’s finally revealed why he didn’t.

While cohosting the Australian radio show Fitzy & Wippa, Russell Crowe explained why he turned down the role of Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men. As it turns out, it had to do with a role Crowe had already taken around that time – Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

Crowe’s character in the film, Maximus, was associated with wolf imagery – something that the actor believed would feel redundant if he took on the role of Wolverine.

“Bryan [Singer] was a friend at the time,” Crowe explained. “And he was really putting the pressure on. If you remember, Maximus has a wolf at the center of his cuirass, and he has a wolf as his companion … which I thought was going to be a bigger deal [at the time]. So I said no because I didn’t want to be ‘wolfy’, like ‘Mr. Wolf’.”

In the end, that parallel didn’t end up having as big of a significance, as most of the wolf-related moments in Gladiator did not make the final cut.

“When Ridley was cutting the movie, it was inconvenient to keep the dog alive — so the whole wolf thing, no one ever mentions it!”

But ultimately, Crowe helped point Singer in the direction of casting Jackman in X-Men. And according to Jackman, that recommendation helped impact his career significantly.

“I owe him because two of the biggest roles I’ve ever had in my life, he turned down — and suggested me for them.” Jackman explained in 2012. “On X-Men, he was Bryan Singer‘s first choice for Wolverine, and he mentioned me also for [Baz Luhrmann’s] Australia. He really is incredibly smart, and generous.”

Logan is directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Frank and Michael Green, from a story by Mangold, and also stars Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant and Dafne Keen.

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