Russell Crowe has revealed that he struggled to fully enjoy his 2001 Oscar win because he felt less worthy than his director.
The Australian actor won Best Actor for the swords-and-sandal epic Gladiator, which was directed by Ridley Scott.
Speaking on the Today show, Crowe said: “I went to Rome and sat and watched the film and it was a humbling experience, man, because I’m watching it and so much changed in my life. I got so many pats on the back, and, you know, I got some big awards and all that, and obviously that sort of stepped me up to a different level for quite some time.”
He continued: “But I watched that movie, and it is a director’s film. It was one of those moments of, ‘Why did I get all the attention when the Academy Award belongs to Ridley Scott?’”
Scott was not awarded the Best Director statuette at that year’s Oscar ceremony, but did land a nomination.
Gladiator itself took home trophies for Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design.
Crowe also recently told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that the original draft for the Gladiator script was “so bad”.
“The producer didn’t know I’d actually already been able to get a copy,” he said, ”but the thing he said is, ‘I don’t want to send you the document we have, because you won’t respond to it. But, I want to encourage you to have a meeting with Ridley Scott.”
After meeting with the acclaimed Blade Runner filmmaker, Crowe agreed to star in the film.
