Russell Crowe Says He’s “Slightly Jealous” of Gladiator 2 Cast

Russell Crowe recently made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Thor: Love and Thunder, and soon he will be seen in a horror film The Pope’s Exorcist, but many fans still know him best for his Academy Award-winning performance as Maximus in Gladiator back in 2000. Recently, it was announced that a Gladiator sequel is currently in the works with Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. However, Crowe is not involved in the film. In fact, the actor recently told Collider that he’s “jealous” of the new movie’s cast. 

“I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know? Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life,” Crowe explained. “It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible. Here it is, it’s 2023, and we made that film in 1999. I guarantee you, somewhere around the world tonight, Gladiator is going to be showing on primetime TV. And you don’t always get that kind of longevity with every film you do, so, it obviously holds a special place in my heart.”

Has Russell Crowe Been Approached About Joining Gladiator 2? 

“I’m sure at some point in time they’ll want to ask me about something, but they haven’t brought anything up in a while,” Crowe recalled to The Ryan Tubridy Show. “It’s an extension of the narrative, but it is long beyond Maximus’ passing, so it doesn’t really involve me at all. I hear that young fella Paul is a good dude and I wish him the best of luck with it. I think where they’re picking the story up from a young Lucius, stepping into the role of emperor. I think that’s a very smart idea within the world of the film that we created.”

He added, “I don’t want to dwell on it too much because it does take me back to a period of time when obviously I was significantly younger. And you know, the rose-colored glasses of that experience now are perfectly crystallized. I look back on it and I loved every minute of it, and that wasn’t actually the case at the time. I do like being on a period movie set. Stepping into those sorts of costumes and those sorts of situations and stuff, it has great appeal to me. There’s a slight edge of jealousy that people get to have that experience that I had once.”

Gladiator 2 currently has a November 22, 2024 release date.