Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible II and Russell Crowe as Maximus in Gladiator
Russell Crowe played the lead role in Gladiator, but the movie nearly cast a few other notable actors to play Maximus instead. Ridley Scott's 2000 historical epic put Crowe in the leading role as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a commander in the Roman Empire, and the actor did not disappoint. He was recognized among Gladiator's Oscars wins, as he took home the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise & Antonio Banderas Were Considered To Play Maximus Steven Spielberg Was Involved In The Process Close ✕ Remove Ads Prior to Russell Crowe signing on to play Maximus, Gladiator considered casting Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, and Antonio Banderas in the lead role. Each of them was considered partly due to Steven Spielberg, who was working with DreamWorks when writer David Franzoni began writing the Gladiator script.
✕ Remove Ads Russell Crowe managed to get cast as Maximus in Gladiator because he had just had his breakout performance as the film's casting search heated up. His role in 1997's L.A. Confidential was widely celebrated, and he followed this up with an Oscar-nominated performance in The Insider. This led to Gladiator's creative team approaching Crowe about making Maximus the next role he would tackle.
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